Rika, Queen of the South
by Evertide
Summary: What if Renamon accepted the offer to join the Devas, and from there, what if she and Rika cut their ties with the other tamers and climbed to the top themselves? [AU] [Different BWGmon from the show] [Zhuqiaomon and Impmon have small parts too]
1. There's No Future for Us Here

Rika, Queen of the South  
Chapter 1: There's No Future for Us Here  
What if Renamon accepted the offer to join the Devas, and from there, what if she and Rika cut their ties with the other tamers and climbed to the top themselves?

This came about thanks to a conversation with my friend FlyingWolf, when we were discussing how Digimon likes the redeemed villain archetype. I, too, have always liked that kind of character, but I asked him if there's ever been the reverse, with a good character who became evil and stayed that way. He mentioned one, and I forget who it was but it was from either a game or series I'm not familiar with...and admittedly, when it comes to Digimon, I've only watched the first three seasons, the first movie, and maybe half of the fourth season, and everything outside of that, I dunno much about. But the conversation continued from there into "what if" scenarios...and thus came an idea that was too good to pass up.

So, maybe they aren't evil, but they still took a very different path than they did in the show.

Without going into too much detail, season three of Digimon is my favorite. I liked the first, and I liked the second more, but the third stuck with me the most, so this feels as much like a long-overdue tribute as a fun idea. That, and while Rika is the main focus of this story, I guess every furry has to do something involving Renamon at some point or other, am I right? Sure I dig Renamon, but I don't think of Renamon as one of my "intro to furry" crushes (I don't know who that is, but my furry roots go back way farther). That said, she and Rika were a pair who showed me one other very fun thing: Yuri shipping! ...In series other than Sailor Moon and Tenchi, that is. Consider this a tribute to them, too.

This mostly uses material from the animes, with bits from the rest of the universe, but if you're like me and only watched the shows, don't worry; I've kept you in mind when writing this.

* * *

Rika stretched out on her bed, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Though it was early, she was already feeling excited for today. This was going to be a day of fun, for herself and others...well, for some at least; others would find that the fun would come at their expense. But that was their loss, not hers, and if they didn't measure up, too bad for them.

She could almost giggle with anticipation, but being a queen meant she held herself to higher standards than before. Sure, it gave her the power to do what she wanted, but a queen should act like one.

Turning to sit on the side of her bed, she rose to her feet, letting out a quiet yawn as she walked to the mirrors beside her wardrobe. She almost didn't think it possible, but she was even more pleased by her reflection as time had gone on. Ten years was a lot of time for change, and change she had.

"And the best is yet to come," she said to her grinning reflections, turning to admire herself from all angles as she found herself reminiscing on what led up to today.

* * *

 _She stood before Renamon and Vajramon in the stadium. The Deva had just given them a most tempting offer: Join him and the remaining Devas in service to the Sovereign Zhuqiaomon, and be rewarded with power, respect, and camaraderie. Offered to Renamon, that is; the fox-like Digimon had told the centaur that she would accept his offer on one condition: Rika came too._

 _At first, Rika didn't know what to say. She had to admit, she wanted to accept it. But her home and family behind were not small things to give up. Not to mention, she had only recently started developing friendships with the goggle-head, the would-be pacifist, and even the too-nice-for-her-own-good Jeri. Could she leave that behind for something that had no promise of reward?_

 _But Renamon knew her well. She told Rika that this offer meant that the Digimon respected them. How much was there for them in this world, anyway? Sure, there were things for now, but what about in the future? Here, she and Rika had to keep everything a secret, anyway. Did she really want to keep going like this?_

 _In the Digital World, there would never be a shortage of battles, of prey. They could openly battle together and bask in the rewards for their hard work. More importantly, they could keep climbing the ladder they started. Together._

 _She knew Rika well, indeed. They both wanted everything Vajramon offered, but what they also wanted was to get it together and never be split up again._

 _It only took a little consideration for Rika to smile at her partner and reach out to shake her hand._

* * *

Her mind drifting back to the present, Rika clapped her hands loudly. Obediently, a pair of suit-wearing Gazimon filed into her room and stood behind her as she took off her nightgown and tossed it at them, one of them catching it without a word. Not that they were Digimon who really cared about the sight of a nude human, and their training to be servants had reinforced that nicely.

"Prepare a bath," she said simply.

Bowing to her, they walked to her adjacent bath chamber. Now wearing nothing but the ever-present purple-trimmed D-Power hanging from her neck, she left them to fill the bath while she looked at herself again in the mirror, this time more at her physical self than in a general appraisal. She had grown up to have a nicely toned physique, her body dotted with scars from years of fighting alongside Renamon. She had even defeated Champion-level Digimon alone, quite an accomplishment for the usually comparatively weak humans. She kept her hair quite short so it wouldn't get in her way in battle; she built her reputation on the battlefield, after all. On Earth, she might have been frowned on for her lack of feminine softness, not that any of those wimps would have had the courage to tell it to her face, but all she could see in her reflection was exactly what she wanted to be.

"Hmhmhm, not just a pretty face," she remarked to herself as she mused back to her early teen years, when she learned what real fighting was.

* * *

 _After agreeing to join the ranks of the Devas, Rika and Renamon were taken to the Digital World to meet their new master. While it galled her to do it, she and Renamon performed the necessary groveling to the phoenix Digimon and bit her tongue at his condescension to "this human." Still, it was worth it for Renamon to be granted the power to digivolve to Ultimate._

 _Actually, when that ceremony was completed, things had changed more than she expected. When Renamon tested her new power, she first digivolved not to Kyubimon, but to the similar yet purple-themed Youkomon. From there, she at last digivolved to her Ultimate level, Doumon._

 _Rika's praise of her partner was cut short with a mildly surprised hum from Zhuqiaomon. He said that in her code, there was no capability to ever reach the Mega level, as if she were incomplete, which although not necessary to serve him was nonetheless strange. Rika wondered if "not necessary" meant "not desirable"; she didn't blame him for not trusting them with so much power, but she couldn't deny it was upsetting to hear._

 _But she kept her understanding of the veiled "you'll never be on my level so don't get any big ideas" threat to herself, and the two of them bowed to him and asked how they could serve him._

 _After proving their worth by easily eliminating a flight of trouble-causing Airdramon in his domain, they were educated on their true enemy. The Chaos. The D-Reaper. Rika felt a twinge of fear upon learning that they would not be fighting Digimon, but a program meant specifically to destroy them and that looked as if it would have a real shot at it._

 _It wasn't long afterward that the other tamers found their own way to the Digital World to save Calumon, and when they approached the South Gate, Rika and Renamon were given the task of stopping them from reaching Zhuqiaomon. Unknown to them, their master had gained a new, much more powerful servant: The former Impmon, now Beelzemon, who arrived not long before they did._

 _While Rika would rather have captured the tamers or driven them away, it was soon clear that Beelzemon was here to kill them, which he demonstrated by slaying Leomon. The events that followed were as amazing as they were frightening, and not just from Guilmon's world-threatening digivolution. Rika and Renamon stood by and watched as Beelzemon destroyed Zhuqiaomon's servants, taking what he needed to overpower Megidramon._

 _Then there was another turn, one that Rika would never have even considered. Takato and Guilmon became one, a Digimon so strong it held its own against Beelzemon. Her surprise soon gave way to jealousy so great she could have walked in the middle of the battle just to strangle the knightly Digimon._

 _A reprieve came when Zhuqiaomon called them back, saying that the Catalyst had escaped and they were to secure it while he destroyed the intruders himself. That suited Rika fine; she didn't want to look at Takato or Guilmon ever again. The pair quickly hunted the little white critter down and brought it back to Zhuqiaomon's palace._

 _When she saw that Henry and Terriermon had done what Takato and Guilmon had done, Rika was almost sent into a fit of rage. Renamon, ever the calm to balance out the storm, took Calumon from her grasp before Rika squeezed him tightly enough to choke him._

 _After the Sovereigns arrived to break up the fighting and show the tamers what the real enemy was, Calumon finally released the long-hidden power of digivolution unto the Digital World...and Renamon was still exempt from the ability to reach the Mega level. Even the mostly-stoic fox couldn't completely hide her frustration this time._

 _"Fine," Rika had said, getting Renamon's attention back. "We'll do it our own way. We'll make everyone notice us. And we'll change the world for our own selves."_

 _Still in the service of Zhuqiaomon, and not relegated to near-uselessness like Lopmon was, Rika and Renamon stayed behind while everyone else went back to the Real World. In the brief but world-changing war that followed in both worlds, they fought long, they fought hard, and above all else, they endured._

 _For the few months after the D-Reaper had been defeated, when the connection between the worlds had been severed, Rika was well and truly trapped in a post-Apocalyptic Digital World. But she and Renamon were getting what they wanted: Plenty of Digimon happy to take advantage of the discord, who their master would send them to eliminate._

 _At last, when tenuous connections back to the Real World had been restored, Rika was permitted to leave, and by "permitted" it was more phrased as "begone from my presence until I send for you." Even after uncomplaining service, Zhuqiaomon found Rika's presence hard to stomach. Not that she blamed him; it wasn't like she served him out of loyalty, either. And yet, having turned away from potential friendships with the tamers while obeying a master who didn't value her...that was the start of her realization that she didn't belong anywhere in either world anymore._

* * *

By the time Rika was done thinking on that chapter of her life, she was in the spacious bath and humming happily to herself as she floated on her back. The Gazimon stood by wordlessly, awaiting instructions. She had plenty of time to soak and look her best before the games were to begin...and if she was late, who cares, they had to wait for her.

The sound of something quietly splashing in the water beside her made her smile again, which widened as she felt someone approaching her. There was only one person who didn't have to ask permission to bathe with her.

"Good morning, Renamon," she greeted the yellow and white fox woman who came into view.

Her partner smiled down at her. "Hail, Queen Rika," she replied in almost a purr, resting her hands on Rika's shoulders. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Quite. Lie down and join me," she invited.

Always one to keep a certain amount of composure even when she didn't have to, Renamon instead moved to sit nearby with the water up to her neck. "Someone has to keep you on schedule," she said.

"Hm, suit yourself, maybe later," the human replied with a shrug.

"It's the first of a few big days for us, you know," Renamon reminded her before briefly ducking her head underwater to finish wetting her fur.

"Of course I know; it was my idea," she boasted.

The fox flicked her ears to shake a bit of the water off, nodding at her lazily floating partner. "So, in the meantime, how has your morning been?" she asked.

"Fine, pretty much," Rika said, staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "I was just thinking back on how we got here."

"And how far have you gotten?"

"To just after I had first gone back to Earth." Rika folded her hands across her stomach and noticed Renamon looking at her in concern; they both knew the next big milestone. "You know, when we were serving him..." she trailed off, frowning so as not to look weak in front of Renamon.

The Digimon understood, both that this was a hard thing for Rika to talk about and that she didn't want to be comforted right now. "I know that was a hard time for us," she said quietly as she started washing her fur.

"That was the start of one of the darkest times of my life..." she said quietly, giving her partner a slightly forced smile, "but even that had a certain brightness."

* * *

 _For a while, things actually weren't too bad. While the other tamers mostly busied themselves with taking care of the straggler Digimon who emerged into the Real World, which had gradually come to be referred to as just "Earth" with the gradual acceptance of the Digital World as its own reality, Rika spent much of that time in the Digital World. Renamon, unburdened with an annoyance like school, could come and go between the worlds easier than Rika could, and when Zhuqiaomon had a task he wanted completed, he would have the order relayed to Rika through Renamon. Luckily for Earth, the destruction left behind by the D-Reaper was so extensive that the Digital World as a whole wasn't as interested in causing trouble for Earth as it used to be. In an organized manner, anyway._

 _Since Renamon couldn't reach the Mega level and thus couldn't fight stronger, Rika dedicated their time to fighting better. She consulted every source of strategy and tactics she could find, learning about real-world historical battles and how the combatants won or lost. She improved her own ability to fight by staying in as good of shape as she could. For a while, she joined dojos and various school clubs dedicated to martial arts, but was forced to leave them either because her allegiance to Zhuqiaomon demanded too much time or she was kicked out for being too aggressive to the other members._

 _Undaunted, she sparred with Renamon to improve further, and occasionally found a weak troublemaker (whether human or Digimon) they could subdue and then force to fight her as more practice. Naturally, when she was spending almost all of what would have been free time carrying out orders or getting better at fighting, that left no time for the diversions that a teenage girl was "supposed" to have, but she rarely found herself caring._

 _With the relative peace that followed the post-D-Reaper rebuilding, most of the time she and Renamon were assigned to long patrols in Zhuqiaomon's territory for new annoyances, training his other servants, escorting other tamers, or meeting with humans on their master's behalf._

 _Four years passed._

 _Their efforts were paying off. Renamon, in all of her forms, could on average win three-against-one battles against other Digimon of the same level. Furthermore, word of them was starting to spread, both in the Digital World and, through other tamers, on Earth. Rika was liking the respect they were getting, not very concerned whether it came from admiration or fear. When something like a dragon or a dinosaur was unnerved by her presence, even when her Digimon partner wasn't with her...those were some good feelings._

 _And yet, there was an undeniable gap between the best Renamon could do and the kind of power a Mega Digimon wielded, and the climb to the top they had committed to long ago was stalled._

 _Through it all, Rika's connection to Earth became more and more tenuous. There was just less there for her anymore. The reports on her activities she had to give to the government became shorter and delayed, not that she imagined they liked hearing from her when they were still decidedly not thrilled that Digimon were a real thing and some of their power was in the hands of children (and oh how she had to grit her teeth when those ignorant, weak suits looked down on her or Renamon). It had taken more than a little effort to convince them and her family that, if they forcibly prevented her from seeing her master when he summoned her, he would have her brought in by force and that wasn't worth the trouble it would cause. She made it clear to them that she had chosen a side and she had to follow through on her end of the deal._

 _After some four and a half years of serving Zhuqiaomon, the only thing that Rika looked forward to seeing on Earth was Grandma Seiko. She wasn't any happier at Rika's decision than anyone else, but Rika at least felt like she supported her anyway. She could always be counted on when Rika needed a mediator, especially between her and her mom Rumiko. It was also nice that Grandma had been quick to accept Renamon, in fact she complimented Renamon on her style and feminine beauty despite Renamon's polite insistence that Digimon didn't think of the latter in the same way humans did._

 _Put simply, just like always, even if she didn't understand Rika's life, she still respected her granddaughter for who she was and what she did. Grandma felt like the only human who would really miss her or Renamon if they died, and in turn was the only human whose death she would mourn._

 _Rika found out she was correct when that exact thing happened, and that was when the bad times started._

 _Coming back from the Digital World one day, she was met by a crestfallen Rumiko. After a day of accompanying her master and looking pretty while he met with the other Sovereigns, she wasn't particularly interested in listening to what anyone had to say, but when her mom said there had been an accident and wasn't able to explain who it involved, Rika's blood froze as she filled in the blanks for her._

 _Rika didn't show up for the funeral. She had gotten to know herself very well in the last several years, and she knew she wouldn't be able to stay in control. While friends and family members were saying their goodbyes to Grandma, Rika and Renamon were in one of the more disorderly parts of the Digital World while the human stamped around, shouting out her anger at everything near her. What a good bit of luck it was for them when a tribe of Ogremon was attracted to the noise, who were happy to start a fight and who would not be missed._

 _Seeing only a good target to vent on, Rika gave Renamon the order to destroy them all. Digivolving to Doumon, her partner began carrying out that order. Watching her eliminate the Ogremon should have calmed her, or at least given her something else to think about for a little while, but it only made things worse. Rika didn't want to be part of the battle as a commander or distraction. She wanted to join in._

 _She got her chance when, after the Ogremon were seemingly destroyed, one of them had been lucky enough to escape complete destruction and had reverted to its Rookie Goblimon form. Renamon approached it to finish what she started, but when it was backed against a wall, she stopped when Rika barked at her to wait. They looked over at the tamer, both surprised to see her walking over with death in her eyes, though the Goblimon panicked when it realized what she was coming to do. It took a swing at her with its club, which she dodged and answered with a quick foot to its leg, and then to its face. Once it had been knocked down, Rika made good use of the heaviest nearby rock she could lift._

 _Sure, it was only a Rookie and it was already scared of her, but stepping over that threshold changed her even more._

* * *

Another nudge from Renamon pulled Rika out of her daydream. "Hah, what?"

"Finish washing up. I've been waiting to get things started, and I'm the only person you wouldn't want to keep waiting, aren't I?" Renamon asked playfully as she stepped out of the bath.

Smirking, Rika sat up as Renamon shook the water from her fur. "You go on ahead to eat, I'll be with you in a little bit." Her partner gave her a respectful bow as she made her exit.

Rika washed herself quickly before leaving the bath, the nearby Gazimon drying her off before she went to her wardrobe. She tapped her chin in thought...she should have asked Renamon to stick around a little while to help her make up her mind. While she had no more love for skirts and dresses than she did as a kid, she had a love of style that had only gotten stronger with her current position. What did she want to wear today that would look good and add to her powerful image...

Of course. There was only one thing to wear on a day when she would be off the battlefield but still wanted to look her best while dressing for movement. And what kind of clothing was form-fitting, exuded power and authority, didn't interfere with movement, and looked good? A well-tailored business suit...with some extra flair.

Soon she was dressed in her favorite outfit for days when she wasn't planning to fight: A white dress shirt, black button-up vest with purple pinstripes, matching black-and-purple-pinstriped pants, and black shoes. For added style, she wore white gloves, and instead of a suit coat, she wore a knee-length purple cape, which could be pulled off quickly if she entered battle and for dramatic effect and which had her self-adopted symbol on its back of a globe being grasped on the bottom by her and Renamon's hands.

On days like these, she added a blood-red pocket watch, clipped by a chain to her vest, to her repertoire. Since the Digital World had very few timepieces, the watch, despite its old style, flipped open to reveal a digital display of the current date and time of whatever time zone back on Earth she wanted to know. Not interested in wearing any kind of crown, her D-Power was her badge of office.

Taking another look at herself in the mirrors, she did a quick twirl to see her reflection from all angles and gave herself a thumbs-up. "Lookin' hot," she complimented herself.

Almost ready for the day, she and the Gazimon walked to her dining hall, the other servants and guards showing proper reverence on the way. Ahh, even after years of being a queen, that respect still made her feel like she could walk on air sometimes.

When she arrived, she saw that Renamon had already started eating, an assortment of breakfast foods on the table for them to sample from as they pleased. The vulpine Digimon joined the others in attendance in bowing to Rika, even if she looked a bit less dignified with a mouthful of food. Rika nodded to her and waved for everyone else to carry on as she began to help herself. The food was a nice distraction from the turn her memories had taken.

* * *

 _The next few months were kind of a blur. Rika tried to carry on with her life as she'd always done, but she was just putting up a front. Inside, she was still angry, frustrated and, though she was ashamed to admit it even to herself, grieving for the loss of her grandmother. While she and Renamon had always been more relaxed when they were alone with each other, when that happened now, there were times when Rika just held onto her partner and cried. She found herself relying on Renamon even more than before. She would always listen. She would never look down on her. She could always be trusted._

 _When Rika was approaching her eighteenth birthday, while she laid in bed with Renamon sleeping beside her, she was kept awake by a troubled mind as she watched the Digimon sleep. For the first time in months, the thing keeping her awake wasn't thinking about Grandma; it was thinking about Renamon. Of course Rika knew there was no one more important to her than Renamon; for years, they had been partners in life-and-death battles and had taken whatever fate could throw at them. They were friends, comrades in arms, and family at once. But when Rika's heart broke and Renamon stepped in to hold her together, Rika had become aware of a very new kind of closeness between her and her partner, one that suddenly left her very unsure of herself._

 _She thought back on all the time they had spent together and how comfortable she was around Renamon, especially when she sometimes needed a supportive shoulder either to cry on or to physically keep her standing. She wondered what Renamon thought of her. The Digimon tended not to speak unless she had something worth saying, but Rika figured she should be able to read her better. Was she as proud of Rika as Rika was of her? Did she value the time they spent together? Did she ever get confused about what their relationship was, too? If she ever needed someone to save her from an emotional breakdown, could Rika do it? Could she still climb to the top and give Renamon what she wanted?_

 _Sighing, Rika closed her eyes and tried to calm down the swirl of thoughts in her head. She was already behind on sleep, and worrying about it wouldn't help either of them, not now. No, now she could just be glad to have her. As much as she liked feeling strong on her own merit, Renamon gave her an extra feeling of safety. She felt nice to hug, too, and Rika had been doing that a lot lately. What would it be like to kiss her? Would she even want to try? How were they supposed-_

 _Wait._

 _If her eyes could make a sound from how quickly they shot open, they would have._

 _Whoa whoa WHOA. WHAT?_

 _Every bit of her brain suddenly hit the brakes on her train of thought as she rewound the last few sentences. Where did that come from? Since when would she wonder what kissing Renamon would be like? Or what kissing anyone would be like? She'd never so much as been on a date, and she could count the number of times she'd been asked out on one hand...without needing her thumb._

 _There was also the hard-to-ignore issue of, well, Rika never had any real reason to think she was a lesbian before, so why would it come up now? Yeah, she'd heard Renamon talk about how some Digimon were fine with thinking of themselves as "he" or "she" but only because it was familiar, not because they attached much significance to it, and others didn't care, but Renamon had always been, pretty firmly, a female to her. Biology aside, that is, however Digimon were supposed to work in that way, or not._

 _Also, it wasn't like Renamon was human in the first place. Not just in the context of how she was a Digimon, she might have been humanoid in shape, but unlike some Digimon who could pass for humans, she was an anthropomorphic fox. Wasn't that a little...weird?_

 _Taking the time to let the other side of her brain answer her doubts, she came up with a few counterpoints. It wasn't like she'd given herself any real reason to think she was straight, either; boys and girls alike weren't worth the time, but Renamon always was, wasn't she? There was no room in her life or her heart for romance at all...so she thought until now, when she was thinking about Renamon. And Renamon not being human hadn't mattered before. When she appeared, didn't Rika accept her? Hadn't they risked their lives for each other? As little as she cared about other tamers, they and their Digimon were friends if not family, differing species be damned. It wasn't like Renamon wasn't smart enough to decide how she felt about Rika._

 _But what she came back to was, when she thought about anyone else who could possibly be attracted to her, they weren't Renamon, were they? They couldn't do the things she did, could they? She'd never give them a chance, would she?_

 _But she would give Renamon a chance if Renamon would take it...and she wanted that to happen._

 _Her already-flushed face reddened further as she rolled over to face away from Renamon, needing to think about what to do now. She couldn't just come out and tell Renamon about this, not without giving it a little time to see if she still wanted to pursue it further. But while she was fairly sure of what she thought, what would Renamon think? Would she go along with it just to not hurt Rika's feelings? Would she take it seriously? Would she be disgusted that Rika could feel that way about her? Were Digimon even capable of romantic love? Or...taking that romance to a physical level? Renamon didn't have any, well, female features...that Rika knew of._

 _Or maybe it was just a combination of fur and being flat and Rika hadn't bothered to find out._

 _Rika didn't sleep at all that night._

 _That week was a very awkward one. Things in the Digital World had been quiet, giving Rika and Renamon plenty of time to spend together without doing battle, to Rika's mixed joy and worry. She tried to stay composed around her partner, but her mind kept playing tricks on her, making her think she saw Renamon gazing at her, or maybe there was a little something extra in that smile the fox gave her, and all kinds of other daydreams when she knew Renamon was behaving as she always did. Trying to figure out if Renamon was interested in her without just asking her was proving difficult with how close they already were. Even the old standard of "see how your target reacts to you 'accidentally' being naked" wouldn't work, as Renamon being around when Rika undressed or bathed was nothing new._

 _"These are some hard waters to test," Rika thought one evening as she did her homework. That thought interrupted her as she dropped her pencil, the musing quickly turning into a perfect idea._

 _The next evening, after she and Renamon had finished their regular sparring, Renamon asked her if something was bothering her lately. She did notice...sort of...Rika could feel a blush threatening to break out, staying focused so as not to give herself away. After a calm brush-off of the concern, Rika said that she wanted to thank her partner for all the help she'd given her lately, in particular, taking a bath with her and trying some shampoo and conditioner on her fur. Renamon looked at her oddly, though whether that was from the suggestion of beauty aids or from how ridiculous she could look when waterlogged, Rika didn't know. But she accepted the offer, and that was all Rika needed._

 _Once they were in the bathroom and properly soaked, and Rika could blame any blushing on the hot water, she beckoned Renamon over. Again, the fox looked at her oddly, and asked for the products Rika had mentioned. Shaking her head, Rika repeated the request, and Renamon knelt by the bathtub. Hoping she wasn't giving too much away, Rika started to lather up Renamon's fur herself. While it took a good bit of shampoo to get her nice and sudsy, it was worth the time and effort, especially since it gave the girl a chance to see how both of them reacted to her subtly intimate gesture._

 _Actually, "subtle" wasn't really the case once Rika reached Renamon's chest and felt her partner shiver a bit as she brushed against...yep...her fingers hadn't deceived her: Renamon was an ironing board under the fur but that was still physically female as far as Rika was concerned._

 _A hasty apology and she pulled her hands away. She didn't dare test her luck further south this soon after that confirmation, just finishing with Renamon's stomach and legs. A rinse and another round with the conditioner later, Renamon got a second rinsing off, and once Rika was done cleaning off, they set to work on finishing with Renamon. At least Renamon could shake most of the water from her fur, but Rika still put that hair dyer through its paces and brushed a good bit of loose fur out of her. But when she was done, she beamed with pride at how Renamon looked as good freshly groomed as she did in the middle of a heated battle._

 _Still, Rika hadn't been successful in her original goal: Finding out if Renamon had that kind of interest in her. Surprise aside, nothing suggested she wanted Rika to stop during the not-exactly-accidental grope, if it could even be called one...but no sign of returned affections either._

 _That brought her to the conclusion that even if casually dropping her news on Renamon wasn't the answer, being subtle about it wasn't going to work either. She resolved to herself that she would tell Renamon everything on her upcoming birthday._

 _The day came, and it passed fairly uneventfully. It wasn't as if she had any friends to party with, so Rika spent most of the day thinking about what she wanted to say and how she would react in any given scenario. Time marched on, until finally, when Rika came home and her mom was still at work, the tamer and Digimon found themselves alone. Rika had planned to do this later in the day, but the anticipation was driving her crazy, so she brought Renamon to her room and sat down with her._

 _What followed were some of the most life-changing events in her then-eighteen years of life._

 _As she promised herself, she bore her heart to her partner: Her gratitude for always being there for her however she needed, her desire to give the same back, her sudden realization and growing confirmation a new kind of love, her admission of the real reason for the bath, and, unexpectedly, her fear of what could happen now. All that, and more. Rika didn't know how long she spoke as Renamon listened intently and only showed mild surprise at most during the girl's rambling speech. Finally, Rika ran out of things to say, and sat with her hands in her lap as she forced herself to keep up a strong, confident front._

 _She jumped a bit when Renamon reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder._

 _"I'm glad you came out to me on your own."_

 _"...You...knew?"_

 _"I suspected. Not for long, but how you've been acting lately was making me wonder. If I was correct, I knew you would tell me when the time was right."_

 _"And...was the time right?"_

 _"This seemed like a suitable choice, yes. A confession in the schoolyard at sunset amidst the cherry blossoms, followed by 'please go out with me,' really wouldn't suit you."_

 _"Hahaha, it was already silly but you didn't have to go the distance and bow while saying it. Yeah, that's always romance in high school, right?"_

 _"For some people."_

 _"But...seriously, how do you...?"_

 _"To be honest...I'm not sure. I'd never even considered the possibility until I thought you were doing the same."_

 _"...Oh..."_

 _"But I want to find out."_

 _As Rika felt hope swell in her chest, Renamon's hands moved to take Rika's in them, moving her larger fingers to interlock them with Rika's own. She gave up trying to stop herself from blushing._

 _"However it turns out, I'm with you for life."_

 _"Same to you."_

 _"Promise."_

 _"Promise."_

 _Rika had waited long enough, and this was a good enough sign. It was time to get a little more daring. Gripping Renamon's hands, she pulled her forward, surprising her partner, and wrapped her arms around her as she let herself fall on her back with Renamon atop her. Before Renamon could ask what she was doing, she reached up to stroke a fluffy cheek with a coy smile, and when there was no resistance, she closed her eyes and leaned in. It was time to answer the question of what kissing Renamon would feel like._

 _It didn't happen._

 _A gasp from aside brought both of their gazes to the door, which had been cracked open with someone watching them, and even in their surprise, it only took a moment to recognize Rumiko. Everything was frozen for a few seconds as they stared at each other, the Digimon and tamer still in a compromising position, until the birthday cake Rika's mom was holding dropped from her hands._

 _That snapped Rika out of it, and snapped something inside her, too. Her surprised expression hardened into her usual confident stare. So what if they'd been too distracted to let her mom sneak up on them? Nobody was going to tell her this was something to be ashamed of._

 _She got her answer for her unspoken question when Rumiko stepped back, shaking her head. That would've been all she needed to know. But this time, it wasn't enough. She didn't just confess to Renamon and had her perfect moment ruined to let this go._

 _Pushing Renamon off her, she got to her feet, threw the door open, and approached her mom. The woman kept backing away from her, now more in fear than shock, as Rika matched her pace._

 _"What's wrong, Mom?"_

 _"R-Rika, were...were y-you and her..."_

 _"Were we what?"_

 _"Were you going to...to-"_

 _"To what? Make out? Lock lips? Suck face?"_

 _"...K-Kiss?"_

 _"Uh huh. That was going to be our first kiss. Then you wrecked it."_

 _"I...I'm sorry, Rika, I just, I didn't know you and she were...like that-"_

 _"No, no, that's not it. You wouldn't be backing away from me if you were just surprised. You wouldn't be scared."_

 _"I just didn't know!"_

 _"You wouldn't have shook your head at seeing your daughter found someone she can love."_

 _"Why didn't you tell me? We could have talked about it."_

 _"What's to talk about? It's not your problem. Or is it a problem for you when I say, 'I love another girl, and she's not human?'"_

 _"..."_

 _By now, Rumiko was backed against the front door, with Rika not an arm's length in front of her and Renamon keeping her distance behind Rika. Rika stared her mom down, waiting for her to have anything to say for herself, while in her head, the already-fraying connection to whatever used to be here for her was finally wearing down to nothing._

 _"Rika, I...I just...I don't understand how this hap-"_

 _"Of course you don't understand. You never understand. You NEVER understand!"_

 _"I...don't know what to say."_

 _"Then I'll give you two choices. One, you can tell me, and I'll hold you to this, 'I accept that you love Renamon.' Or..."_

 _Rika let her step away from the door, reaching by her to open it and point outside._

 _"You can say nothing at all, walk away, and we'll never talk about it again."_

 _She set her hands on her hips as she waited for a decision. Rumiko looked back and forth at Rika, Renamon, and the open door. Her mouth opened a few times as she tried to say something, whether it was what Rika said she wanted her to say or anything else. At last, Rika got her answer._

 _Rumiko closed her eyes, turned, and walked out the door._

 _She calmly shut the door behind Rumiko and stood still for a while, staying quiet when Renamon walked up behind her and took her in a hug. The last step of a long-brewing chain reaction had been set off, and Rika was done resisting it or trying to talk herself out of it._

 _"Renamon. That's it. I've had enough."_

 _"We both knew we wouldn't be accepted right away."_

 _"No, no, I mean, this place, this city, this..."_

 _"...What do you want to do, then?"_

 _"Is there anything here you would miss?"_

 _"...No."_

 _"Then go get my cards, and follow me. We're leaving."_

 _"For where?"_

 _"We're leaving this world. I don't care about it anymore. There's no future for us here."_

 _Now it was Renamon's turn to be quiet and think about what Rika said. Rika would normally have expected to feel angry after that confrontation with her mom, but this time she felt very different: Committed to the path she wanted to walk. Part of her had just died and broken off, leaving her unwhole for now, but that emptiness could be filled with something new._

 _She felt a little happiness again when Renamon let her go with only a nod as she went to retrieve the requested cards, and with her shoes on when Renamon returned and slid the cards into the pocket on her belt, she opened the door._

 _To be met with Rumiko reaching for the door._

 _"Rika, I- oof!"_

 _"Move."_

 _"Ah...Rika, wait!"_

 _"I gave you a choice, and you made it. You don't get another chance."_

 _"I'm sorry I walked away from you!"_

 _"Doesn't matter."_

 _"Please, Rika, I don't want it to be like this! Just let me try to work this out with you!"_

 _"...Let go of me. We're going out."_

 _"No. Not this time."_

 _"And we're not coming back."_

 _"...What..."_

 _"We aren't your problem anymore, and you aren't our problem. We're going somewhere we can make something of ourselves."_

 _A sharp "crack" sounded as Rumiko's palm crossed Rika's cheek._

 _"I'm sorry I had to do that, Rika, but I'm not letting you leave."_

 _"Then that was the last in your line of mistakes."_

 _"Now you listen-"_

 _"Not slapping me. Being sorry for it. Like you think I'm so weak that actually hurt!"_

 _Grabbing Rumiko's wrist, Rika gave it a squeeze that made Rumiko grunt in pain as her hand was pulled off._

 _"You wanna make it like that?! I'll show you what a real hit feels like!"_

 _Taking the collar of Rumiko's shirt in one hand, Rika balled up her other fist and pulled it back...and then stopped and let her go._

 _"Actually...you know what? I've got a better idea. It's about time Renamon got her say in this."_

 _"Wh-What...what are you going to do?"_

 _"Renamon."_

 _"Yes, Rika?"_

 _"It looks like I can't talk her out of it. But this involves you too. Why don't you take a turn to show her I'm out of here forever?"_

 _"What would you like me to-"_

 _"Surprise me."_

 _"Renamon...please..."_

 _Rumiko got down on her knees and bowed to her._

 _"I don't want to lose my daughter. Please...help me. How would you feel if she walked out on you?"_

 _Renamon looked at Rika._

 _"That has happened once. I know how it feels."_

 _She then looked back at Rumiko._

 _"And it will never happen again."_

 _She stepped away from them, her eyes fixed on Rumiko in a scowl as she turned her head to Rika._

 _"Give me some power."_

 _Rika's hand went to her D-Power, and with a flash of light, Renamon was replaced by the nine-tailed Youkomon. Rumiko was frozen before the mythical creature, eyes wide as the Digimon fanned her tails out and balls of violet flame appeared at their tips._

 _"Nothing can break us apart. Certainly not you."_

 _"R-Rika...how...how could you let her...do this...?"_

 _Rika didn't answer, watching curiously as a similar event from a few months ago replayed in her mind. Renamon knew Rika had gotten over her fear of killing Digimon. Was she about to show Rika she was willing to kill humans? But she didn't need to digivolve to do that...what was she doing?_

 _The kitsune twisted her body around to spin in a circle, her fanned-out tails wrapping together and the wisps of fire joining into one large ball. After the second spin, she came to a stop, whipped her rear half forward, and flung the ball with her tails acting like a single massive arm._

 _"FOXFIREBALL!"_

 _Rumiko covered her face with a scream as the ball..._

 _Missed?_

 _No, it hadn't missed. She hadn't been aiming for her in the first place._

 _It streaked around her and back through the open door, flying around the corner and out of sight. A pleased grin spread across Rika's face just before an explosion came from inside, far enough in that it sounded to be about where her room was...or used to be. Of course Renamon would know how to aim a guided shot like this._

 _Rumiko didn't say anything, just watching in stunned silence. Rika supposed that got the message across. After snapping her fingers to get her partner's attention back, Youkomon reverted to Renamon and walked to Rika's side as the girl turned away._

 _"If you want to still live there at all, you'd better call someone before that fire spreads past my room. We, meanwhile, are off to where we belong."_

 _And so it was that on that day, she found romance, she was more committed than ever to the promises she made to her partner, and she never again thought of Earth as "home."_

* * *

 **A/N Continued**

Digimon (c) Namco-Bandai.

This story's copyright policy: "Sharing is caring." Do what you like with this story, not like I can do anything to stop you, in fact I'd be flattered you'd want to share it or save it so you can read it whenever you want. All I ask is that you link back to the original source. A version that can be copied is on my DA page (I'm Evertide there too).


	2. We Are Two, We Are One

Rika, Queen of the South  
Chapter 2: We Are Two, We Are One  
Rika and Renamon fully commit to each other as more than friends and partners, in the face of something that might indeed break them apart forever.

Hopefully everyone enjoys what is basically one long flashback. But, hey, it's got violence, fusion, Renamon, and girls kissing each other, what's not to love?

This mostly uses material from the animes, with bits from the rest of the universe, but if you're like me and only watched the shows, don't worry; I've kept you in mind when writing this.

Digimon (c) Namco-Bandai.

My copyright policy: "Sharing is caring." Do what you like with this story, not like I can do anything to stop you, in fact I'd be flattered you'd want to share it or save it so you can read it whenever you want. All I ask is that you link back to the original source.

* * *

"Rik-"

"Rgh!" Rika's fork clinked against her plate as the grape she was subconsciously batting around was squished underneath it. She looked aside to see Renamon's hand on her shoulder. "What, what is it?" she asked pointedly.

"Is something on your mind again?" her partner said as she withdrew her hand, the tone of Rika's voice seeming to just slide off her.

Rika's did a quick look around the room, glad to see none of the other Digimon staring at her, and tried to relax. Years later, it still wound her up a little when she thought of that day. She gave Renamon a simple answer of, "No."

The Digimon knew better by now, and also knew the right and wrong ways to get Rika to talk. She looked at the Gazimon accompanying Rika, commanding, "Go." They bowed and made their exit, leaving the two of them sitting at the head of the table by themselves. "Shall I dismiss everyone else?" she asked quietly.

Rika shook her head. "No need. I was thinking about the day when we came here for good."

"Ah, yes. But, surely you don't want to dwell on the negatives too much. We've come a long way since then," Renamon offered.

"Yes," Rika said with a nod, "but that was about the halfway point. After that," she grinned as she stood up, leaving the dishes to be dealt with as she walked to the door, "we knew for sure what we wanted to do with our lives."

Renamon followed her down the palace halls, commenting, "I only wish we had realized it sooner."

Rika shrugged as they ascended a staircase. "It probably wouldn't have mattered. We'd still have had to wait for the right spark to start the fire."

Eventually, they reached the top of the palace, where an open space awaited them, something like a runway except, of course, it was meant for flying Digimon. Namely, certain flying Digimon that weren't here yet.

A Vilemon and Demidevimon dozing against a wall looked up lazily at hearing someone approach, and then scrambled to their feet at seeing who had come. "Ah, y-y-you're early," they sputtered, standing at attention.

"Mm hm. Be grateful you didn't actually have something to do right this moment," Rika said.

"Thank you- I mean, yes, Queen Rika," Vilemon stammered. Whatever relief they might have felt dwindled as the pair stepped closer, causing them to shiver.

"I'm, I'm sorry, but they weren't going to be here until you were expected to arrive," Demidevimon apologized.

"And now that we're here, you can go do your job and tell them we've arrived early. You can do something that simple," one more step from Rika, "right?"

"Gyaah, yes, Queen Rika!" they squawked as they turned to fly off the roof.

Alone with Renamon again, the fox smiled slightly as she stood beside her partner. "It's a bad morning to be in your way, isn't it?" she remarked dryly.

Rika tapped a finger on her arm anxiously. "I might have to join in the games, myself, once they start. All this anticipation...I already wanna fight!"

"I'm sure we'll both enjoy ourselves. While we're waiting, since I don't want to rip one of your favorite outfits in a sparring match, why don't you go ahead and stretch out?" she asked knowingly. "You still forget that in the mornings when I don't remind you."

With a nod, Rika crouched down to start properly loosening her muscles up, her fighting spirit continuing to flare up as she thought back on the next big milestone in their lives.

* * *

 _Upon Rika's departure to the Digital World, she and Renamon explained themselves to their master, though they left out the detail of what caused the fight between Rika and Rumiko in the first place, namely that there was a budding romance between them. Best to save that for later, when they had some time to be sure that the interest was mutual. Not like they hadn't cultivated at least some favor with him. While much of their time would be spent away carrying out his orders, the phoenix gave them his approval to officially move into the Southern Palace, and so they did. Attempts by anyone from Earth to bring her back by force (the most annoying reason being "for your mother's sake"; they didn't know her mother before, what did they care about her now?) were answered first with warnings, and then with violence to those who failed to listen, and it didn't take long for them to stop._

 _Rika wondered why she hadn't thought to stay here sooner; she and Renamon had risen to positions of considerable importance among Zhuqiaomon's servants. Coming up on five years in his service, Rika and Renamon had surpassed their original purpose as members of the Devas and were among his top enforcers in a class all their own, with the appropriate renown and respect. The two of them knew, and were known by, almost everyone who was anyone among Digimon and also those who dealt with them on Earth._

 _Since they lived in his service now, Zhuqiaomon designated them as his main emissaries between him and the humans, which was facilitated nicely by the D-Power's ability to allow tamers to understand each others' speech...most of the time, anyway. They weren't just a powerful martial force anymore; they had social influence to exploit. Truth be told, they already had a lot of weight to throw around with Digimon and humans; now it was a new responsibility, and with Zhuqiaomon still observing a grudging truce between himself and the humans, he had plenty of use for the sole tamer in his service when he didn't want to personally deal with any humans but her, which was to say pretty much all the time. Rika got no small amount of satisfaction when one of the Japanese government officials she used to give reports to walked into a conference room to see her and Renamon waiting and now had to be diplomatic with them, when before Rika might be treated like a kid who didn't know what she was doing and Renamon might be treated like an animal that could talk._

 _No longer living in a place where there were any restrictions on what she could wear or carry, Rika made some big upgrades to her wardrobe, namely carrying weapons. While most gear in the Digital World was already owned by whatever Digimon used it, she still visited Earth once in a while, usually chasing down a Digimon from Zhuqiaomon's territory. That left Rika with opportunities to claim spoils for herself as compensation for her services, and over time, her room in Zhuqiaomon's palace was home to a collection of firearms, melee weapons, a set of custom-made riot armor, and a handful of useful gadgets from smoke grenades to night-vision goggles. Digimon they could push around served as suitable practice partners. Granted, most of her weapons weren't very useful against most Digimon, but it sent a clear message that she wasn't someone to be messed with, especially since she dealt with comparatively vulnerable humans so often._

 _During the first several months of their now full-time service to him, Rika's main interest was seeing how receptive Renamon was to her romantic advances. They kept their relationship private, fearing being ratted out by one of Zhuqiaomon's subjects and having everything ruined again. Still, Rika made use of every moment alone she could to compliment, admire, brush against, and flirt with her partner. Renamon seemed to enjoy the attention, which was a good start, but Rika couldn't tell if she wasn't sure of a right way to return it or if she was still making up her mind. Or maybe she was just being coy. Even though Rika was anxious for some reciprocation, this was never boring. In fact, it was kind of thrilling, wondering if and how Renamon would respond to her advances._

 _She finally got her answer one day, when she woke up to Renamon laying beside her with her head propped up on one hand and looking down at her suddenly very awake partner._

 _"Good morning, Renamon."_

 _"It is, isn't it?"_

 _"I...guess?"_

 _"You only guess? Then let me give you a hint as to why. Today's the day we become girlfriends."_

 _"..."_

 _"Something wrong?"_

 _"That's...a lot more...than a hint."_

 _"I'm sorry, I lied. I know you're not a big fan of subtlety and you've been patient enough."_

 _"Y-Yeah..."_

 _"...You seem unsure. Maybe I should give you another 'hint.'"_

 _"...Of...?"_

 _Renamon moved to lie atop her, making Rika's face even redder._

 _"You said this started when you wondered what it would be like to kiss me. It's about time you got your answer."_

 _She leaned down. Rika leaned up. It was soft. It was warm. It was electrifying. It was kinda fuzzy. It got a bit of loose fur in her mouth. It was amazing._

 _Now that they knew their feelings were shared, they were ready to tell their master. It wasn't like they wanted to hide it around anyone. So, with Rika so lightheaded and happy she could almost be drunk, they went to Zhuqiaomon to receive their next assignment, but first, they told him of their newfound love._

 _His reaction wasn't as bad as Rumiko's. It was much worse. Rumiko just couldn't accept their love. Zhuqiaomon forbade it._

 _In no uncertain terms, he made it clear to them that even after some five and a half years of their distinguished service to him, he still considered the tamers and their partners an offense to the order of the Digital World. The notion that humans could command and empower Digimon was a threat to their right to be the masters of their own fate. Rika and Renamon were the only pair whose usefulness to him outweighed their status as an abnormality, but the notion that humans and Digimon could be lovers...he didn't care if the other Sovereigns were more lenient on this issue, but it was something he would not stand for._

 _Rika was accustomed to remaining at attention during his outbursts, which was good for both of them because this well-practiced habit was all that was keeping her from ordering Renamon to digivolve and destroy him. They still wouldn't stand a chance and she knew it. So, her face having gone blank to hide the storm brewing inside her, she bowed to him and said she would obey him and not pursue their romantic feelings. To her relief, Renamon joined her._

 _Unsurprisingly, that wasn't enough for him. Renamon asked what they had to do to prove themselves, and Rika almost rushed him alone when he answered._

 _"As proof of your continued obedience, you two will cleanse each other of this taint. Fight. Here, now, until I order you to stop."_

 _At first, both of them stayed where they were. Rika's facade broke a little bit when she looked up at him as if to confirm she had heard him right, and every muscle tensed when Renamon's hand clasped her shoulder and pulled her upright._

 _Renamon answered for him when her other fist sunk into Rika's stomach, knocking the breath out of her and leaving her coughing while Renamon stood before her._

 _"Get up and fight, Rika. You've taken worse than that."_

 _While Rika got her wind back, she looked at her partner, and saw her lips moving now that her back was to Zhuqiaomon...what was she mouthing..._

 _"We can survive this."_

 _She blinked in realization. Of course...well, she wasn't going to let Renamon down now. Getting to her feet, she faced her partner, and the "fight" began._

 _Nobody knew them better than they knew each other, especially when it came to combat, and Rika knew that if both of them were actually trying their hardest, Rika would lose. Granted, she'd put up a much better fight now than she would have as a thirteen-year-old, but Renamon was still decidedly stronger, faster, and tougher. That was how she knew that a few of the blows she landed were from Renamon allowing them, all the better of a show for their master...if he could be called that anymore._

 _While the phoenix watched silently, they kept fighting. Every time Renamon hit her, Rika promised to do the same to Zhuqiaomon, and every time she hit Renamon, it caused her pain as well. Some might say that going through with this, even unwillingly, was at best a twisted expression of love, but to them it was perfectly clear: Zhuqiaomon doubted them and was sure this was all it would take to destroy their bond. But this couldn't break them. They knew who would be held responsible for this, and it wasn't each other._

 _Finally, when both of them were bruised and bloodied, Zhuqiaomon commanded them to stop. After telling them that was enough and he expected to never hear of this again, he ordered them to leave his presence until he sent for them._

 _As they bowed to him to excuse themselves, Rika and Renamon caught each other's gaze. It was only for a moment, but there were no words that needed to be exchanged at this point. Rika just knew that Renamon had come to the same conclusion she had. They couldn't go back to Earth anymore, and now there wasn't a place for them in the Digital World either, so there was only one thing to do, and that was reshape the Digital World to suit them..._

 _And to do that, Zhuqiaomon had to go, and they had to be the ones to make it happen so they could take his place._

 _The problem, of course, was actually doing it. For all their skill and experience, they couldn't slay a Mega-level Digimon, not without strategy and help. Strategy wasn't a problem for them, but help was another matter. It wasn't that they didn't know anyone who wouldn't join them if they rebelled, but this wasn't just a matter of destroying a powerful enemy; they, and only they, had to assume ownership of his throne, and their pride couldn't be compromised now, so regardless of whether they had allies to keep his other minions from interfering, they had to fight Zhuqiaomon alone and win. Finally, there was also the simple fact that Zhuqiaomon was still one of the most powerful Digimon alive._

 _Ambitious as they were, they already at least considered the possibility of overthrowing him someday, but now their lives revolved around his downfall at their hands. So they did the only things they could do for now: Endure, and bide their time while they looked for the power they needed._

 _They couldn't risk being found out, so they couldn't kiss, hug, or so much as hold hands. They allowed themselves only brief amorous stares or whispers when they were alone. For Rika, it was nothing short of torture, the object of her affections so close to her so often and yet she couldn't just reach out to embrace her. Still, they had been through too much for Rika to ever give up, and "we can survive this" became their quiet reminder of their shared goal and mutual support, as well as the closest they could come to saying what they really wanted to say to each other._

 _Such a long period of frustration and scheming caused a slow but sure change to her personality. Consciously or not, she vented her anger in her duties. She became increasingly sharp with everyone she regarded as beneath her: Never unfair, but never caring about them as individuals. To those above her, she was cold but obedient. And, of course, any time she had a reason to fight and kill a Digimon herself, she took it._

 _Another year and a half passed with their only success being their still-unbroken bond._

 _While the Digital World had remained mostly peaceful, the peace was finally broken...by a tamer of all things. A fifteen-year-old boy known only as Javier with a BlackAgumon partner, who by most accounts had only been a tamer for no more than four months, was terrorizing both worlds._

 _Rika and Renamon met with everyone in either world who had information on him. No one knew much about his past; he didn't really seem to exist until other another group of tamer ran into him and his Digimon two months before his attacks started. Javier didn't tell them why he couldn't go home, just that it wasn't an option, or even tell them his full name. They tried to befriend him and give him a new feeling of "home." All they could learn from him as far as where "home" used to be was that he was from Central America, but he never talked about any one hometown; they supposed he had been homeless, so they didn't press the issue._

 _They also quickly took note that he and his Digimon were natural fighters. It didn't take long for his BlackAgumon to be able to digivolve, and that was when they already noticed a change in the two: They didn't just fight well, they got a real thrill out of it. Attempts to calm them down met with mixed success at best, until he achieved the Ultimate level; then he was out of control._

 _Why certain humans were selected to become tamers was still not fully understood, but how it was decided that this boy should get a Digimon partner was especially puzzling. Rika couldn't say she was particularly surprised, though. After all, she hadn't been interested in being a big hero of justice when Renamon came to her...or...any other time. It wasn't like all tamers were good guys, either. Digimon were empowered by faith, tamers were people whose faith was much stronger than others, and all of them were ready to fight for their beliefs._

 _And this Javier? He believed he really, really liked destroying things. He was very right and very good at it. For some two months, he and his partner had appeared and disappeared throughout the worlds, and each time, they left destruction in their wake, like a two-person guerrilla unit with no objective other than "because it's fun."_

 _At first his partner always attacked as a SkullGreymon. Possibly due to Javier's natural hostility, this SkullGreymon seemed to be in enough control that he recognized his partner as "don't attack" and obeyed his basic commands, including de-digivolving so they could run, but other than that he was as brutal as the stories of his kind said. As the attacks continued, concern grew along with efforts to apprehend them. Once the SkullGreymon was replaced with a BlackWarGreymon, leaders in both worlds really started to worry._

 _His actions had not endeared him to humans or Digimon alike, and he had been spending his time on the run around both worlds. However he learned his skills, he was as good at running and hiding as he was at fighting. Tracking a Mega-level Digimon was easy, but once it powered down and ran off, that was when things could get tricky, like how something that's on fire is easy to find but once it's thrown in a lake it suddenly becomes a lot harder to find again._

 _While Rika took this threat seriously, as this boy was as dangerous to her as he was to everyone else, she also saw an opportunity to do some research into her own problem. One day, when she and Renamon were sent to Hypnos HQ about a possible success in getting a tracing program to stick to him even when they were laying low and his BlackAgumon was powered down, they spoke to Henry's father Janyu privately._

 _"As you know, my lord Zhuqiaomon wants these two dealt with as soon as possible. While I'm confident any confrontation between him and Javier would lead to the tamer's death, he has been able to reach the Mega level faster than most. Should his power continue to grow, will my lord be in danger?"_

 _"I suppose so...that's a reasonable assumption, anyway. Or am I missing something?"_

 _"Lord Zhuqiaomon is not merely a powerful Digimon: He's one of the four Sovereigns, Digimon who are looked up to as gods. Can the gods die?"_

 _She knew a question like this must have sounded at least a little suspicious, even after seven years of serving him. But the chance to get an answer to such an important question from someone who had a good chance to actually know made her feel like a child who just noticed the cookie jar had been left open._

 _"In theory. A Sovereign's power is extensive, but after all this time, I still have no reason to think they're so much 'gods' as they are 'very powerful Digimon.'"_

 _So, as far as a reliable expert was concerned, Zhuqiaomon wasn't an immortal deity and could be killed in battle. The only trick was doing it, but it didn't take anything beyond fighting well enough. Rika could almost jump with joy. But she knew she had to cover her tracks, and excited as she was, she could think of only one way to do it: A fist to the face._

 _"AH! What the-"_

 _"That was for doubting my lord's power."_

 _Before things could escalate, Renamon set her hand on Rika's shoulder and pulled her away._

 _"That's enough. We'll be going now."_

 _As they left to return to the Digital World, Rika was smiling so widely on the inside it almost made her face hurt despite her flat gaze. She didn't even have to look at Renamon to feel similar anticipation from her. Even the punishment they would likely get from Zhuqiaomon for their behavior was more than worth it._

 _When they reached his audience chamber and reported to him, it wasn't disapproval they were greeted with; it was an order that made Rika's blood go cold. His scouts had tracked Javier down on their own, near the Southern Palace, and Rika and Renamon were the most powerful subjects available to him, so they were to go and engage him immediately, before he could come any closer. Before they could ask questions or protest, they were told that his forces would be convening on the rogue tamer soon, so Rika and Renamon had better hurry and back them up._

 _After running to their room to gear up, Rika clung to Youkomon's back while they rushed to the indicated location, she felt something she felt so rarely she'd almost forgotten what it was like. The sweat, the dim but persistent adrenaline rush, the thoughts that kept drifting to what might happen...it was fear. They'd dealt with troublesome tamers before, but not one like this._

 _"Hey...Renamon?"_

 _"I know what you're going to ask. I don't have the luxury of being scared."_

 _"I haven't either for a long time. But here I am."_

 _"I thought so. If you have to be scared, just don't let it control you."_

 _"I don't want to run. But I don't want it to end here either."_

 _"It won't."_

 _She looked over her shoulder at Rika, smiling calmly._

 _"We can survive this."_

 _Rika smiled and nodded back, forcing herself to stop thinking about "but will we survive this?"_

 _By the time they even reached their enemies, Rika could tell she was going to need the encouragement to take this one down. Zhuqiaomon's territory, especially after the post-D-Reaper rebuilding, was mostly arid, with deserts and canyons in abundance; the greenest places one could find anywhere but at the borders were savannas. Even then, as the pair came on a stretch of low rocky hills that had been used as a mining quarry, the landscape looked more scorched than usual, with fresh craters dotting their surroundings and what few trees that used to be here reduced to charred stumps._

 _No sooner had they arrived than Rika's D-Power beeped to alert her to a nearby hostile Digimon, and just as that happened, a small black figure leaped into the sky from the other side of one of the nearby hills. Youkomon skidded to a stop as she readied herself for the BlackWarGreymon's first move, and then the bright light of a BlackWarGreymon's signature Terra Destroyer attack cast its ominous glow on their surroundings for a moment...before the energy ball was thrown away from them._

 _Too bad for whatever he used to be fighting, good for Rika and Youkomon that they hadn't been seen yet._

 _Ducking behind a nearby rock, they considered their next move as the sounds of the nearby battle continued._

 _"Okay, so the fight's already started. You're not going to last long against him like this."_

 _"I wouldn't say that so soon. They've always fought fearlessly and viciously, but the closest thing to a strategy they've shown is 'smash something, run, and kill anything that chases us.'"_

 _"Renamon...the best you could do is give him a runaround for a while, but you're not strong enough to actually destroy him."_

 _"If we can't kill him...we'll have to do it the other way."_

 _"That is?"_

 _Youkomon looked back at Rika again, this time with grave seriousness._

 _"Kill Javier."_

 _Rika had a feeling it might come to that. There had been plenty of time for everyone to find out, one way or another, that while the tamers and their partnered Digimon had the potential for tremendous power, that power came from the bond with very special humans, and it also came with a price. When a Digimon partner died, its data could never be reborn in a Digi-Egg and wherever it went, it didn't come back, while when a tamer died, his or her partner returned to the Rookie level and could never digivolve again. Rika couldn't answer Youkomon, giving her time to speak again._

 _"I know humans are a line we've never crossed. I've never asked you to do anything I didn't think you could do. But do you want to? Or do you want me to do it? Because it's either that or we run."_

 _Rika shook her head._

 _"I won't ask you to do something just because I couldn't stomach it. But first...I want to at least try to get him to stand down on his own, and his D-Power would detect you coming, so-"_

 _Before they could continue, a scream rang through the air, and a moment later, a Meramon fell next to them, rolling away from the force of the impact before coming to a stop. It only looked back where it came from long enough to scream again before, like a black meteorite, the BlackWarGreymon they were here for dropped on it, instantly stamping it into a cloud of data. Laughing, he reared back and let out a triumphant roar._

 _Rika and Youkomon started to circle to the other side of the boulder to stay out of sight...too late; he turned around. All three of them froze for a second, and then the savage Digimon's eyes widened and he crouched down, Youkomon darted in front of Rika with her tails unfurled, and Rika took her D-Power in hand to digivolve her. He lunged at them._

 _Then he skidded to a stop as he started talking to himself, or rather to his unseen tamer._

 _"Rrrgh, but they're right there!"_

 _Not one to waste such an opportunity, Rika held her D-Power forward, and Youkomon was replaced by Doumon, which caused BlackWarGreymon to shudder like a barely-controlled furnace of rage._

 _"Let me destroy them!"_

 _Keeping herself between Rika and BlackWarGreymon, Doumon slowly crossed her arms behind her back, the fingers of one hand reaching in her sleeves to pull out ofuda for ready use and the other hand ready to grab Rika and pull her away from danger._

 _"Fine, but hurry up!"_

 _The staredown continued, with BlackWarGreymon held back only by his tamer's order as he started pacing back and forth anxiously while Doumon remained as still as a statue. Rika tried to think up a battle plan, reminding herself that no matter what happened, she couldn't panic, and they had faced Digimon of similar power before and won, to say nothing of the D-Reaper...even though they had help those times._

 _The wait ended as running footsteps approached. BlackWarGreymon looked aside to their source...and with his attention lost for just that moment, Doumon made her move. She whipped one hand forward to throw an exploding ofuda at him as she lunged back with her other arm outstretched to Rika. She had just taken Rika's arm in hers when their opponent, rushing forward unharmed through the smoke from the explosion, was suddenly looming over them._

 _"No...my tamer's been looking forward to this. You don't run, you don't die yet, you don't disappoint him."_

 _Rika couldn't say she was surprised that didn't hurt him; she knew Doumon couldn't overpower him, but she should easily be able to outsmart him. She quickly reminded herself that was just the first plan; they had plenty more. They could survive this._

 _BlackWarGreymon pointed at Rika._

 _"You. Weapons, on the ground."_

 _Rika narrowed her eyes at him, shaking her head. He growled and reached for her, and Doumon reflexively grabbed his arm, only for him to pull it free and knock her to the ground with a backhanded swipe. Keeping her pinned with one foot, he repeated his demand, pointing at his side._

 _"Weapons. Now."_

 _As he applied more pressure on Doumon, getting a strained grunt from her, Rika tossed everything she had, weapons and cards alike, over to the demanded spot until she was armed with nothing but her fists. Holding up her hands to indicate she had nothing left, BlackWarGreymon gave Doumon a light kick to send her back to Rika's side, and as the fox-woman sprang to her feet, he brought his leg down again, stamping her weapons into a new foot-shaped hole._

 _Kept from escaping, they could only wait as their other quarry stepped into view. With his dirty clothes, unkempt hair, and wide smile, he certainly looked the part of a wandering kid who loved to fight and loved it in all the wrong ways._

 _"Finally, we meet. The Strong-Arm of the South, the Phoenix's Talon...but they say you just call yourself 'the mighty Rika.'"_

 _She humphed at him, Doumon and BlackWarGreymon glaring at each other._

 _"Most people who address me like that are smart enough to either bow to me or stand at attention."_

 _"Hahaha! As full of yourself as they say."_

 _"If you know about me, then you know what I've done. Who do you think you are?"_

 _"Me? I'm well on my way to becoming the terror of both worlds. I'm gonna leave my mark on history, and that mark's gonna be a smoking crater."_

 _"How original."_

 _"You didn't look bored a minute ago when you were hiding from my Digimon like he was Death itself, and no one's gonna be bored when I do something no one's ever done: Kill a Sovereign."_

 _Rika kept a steely gaze on him, but had to be quiet as she felt a pang of...sympathy? No, she wasn't sympathetic to him; as little as she cared about the lives he'd cut short and the damage he'd done, she was never wantonly destructive. Still, she certainly agreed that killing Zhuqiaomon was a worthy goal, no matter its reason. Of course, she couldn't let him even try to kill Zhuqiaomon, because that was what she, Renamon, and no one else were going to do._

 _"What? Are you scared? Or...jealous?"_

 _"We finally met and you've already talked too much. Are you going to tell me next about how you're doing this because the bullies at school pushed you down one too many times?"_

 _"Hahaha, I was pushed around and walked all over. But that's done now. Soon I'll go down in history for killing a god."_

 _He reached behind his back._

 _"But you're a high rung on the ladder, yourself."_

 _He pulled his arm forward, now gripping a pistol._

 _As soon as it was in view, Doumon's arms whipped out, one flinging an ofuda at him and the other flinging another ofuda at the ground before them. BlackWarGreymon easily blocked the attack on his tamer, and the dust from the other explosion hid them long enough for her to grab Rika and leap away, followed by a scream of frustration from BlackWarGreymon._

 _Still in the air as they approached nearby piles of boulders, Doumon looked at her partner._

 _"This doesn't change the plan. We can't overpower BlackWarGreymon, but we can outsmart and outlast him."_

 _"We've lost surprise now. We have to go straight for Javier."_

 _As they landed, Doumon shook her head._

 _"No. You have to go for him. I have to keep BlackWarGreymon away from you."_

 _Rika knew she was right. She still had to force herself to nod._

 _"I understand. I won't let you down."_

 _"I told you, I've never asked you to do anything I didn't think you could do. You've faced worse than some kid with a gun."_

 _Rika smiled a little._

 _"Got that right."_

 _Doumon smiled back, giving the unspoken cue for them to reaffirm each other again._

 _"We can survive this."_

 _With that, she rushed away, and Rika took a breath to steel herself before she started creeping around the stones, her eyes darting back and forth between where she was going and watching what her partner saw on her D-Power. Doumon hadn't gotten BlackWarGreymon's attention yet, probably waiting to get a good amount of distance between them first._

 _Rika froze mid-step as she heard footsteps approaching, and when the ground shook with how heavy they quickly became, she knew it wasn't just Javier who was coming._

 _"RIKA! RENAMON! Come and face me!"_

 _A frustrated grunt later, one of the boulders suddenly flew through the air._

 _"We came here to kill you! We came to watch you die!"_

 _Wait, weren't she and Renamon just targets of opportunity?_

 _"So come out or I'll blow up this whole-"_

 _Doumon picked the perfect time to interrupt him, an explosion nearby getting a cry of bloodlust from the Digimon as the pounding footsteps ran away. A quick glance at her D-Power and Rika confirmed that her partner was already a good distance away and ducking back under cover. Good...she could play this stick-and-move game with such a bull-headed foe._

 _"Go! Go get her! Don't stop until she's dead!"_

 _Rika grinned a little at hearing Javier was still here. What an idiot...he didn't even realize that in a fight like this, where he was the much softer and easier target, he was safest with his partner nearby. Their loss._

 _She peeked around the boulder she was hiding behind. There he was, a stone's throw away, facing away from her and gun still in hand. Now was as good a chance as any. Crouching down, she picked up a fist-sized rock, wound up, and threw it at him, ready to spring forward and take him down._

 _The rock hit him...damn it, he moved and it hit him in the shoulder instead of the head. It was still enough to get him to squeeze out a shot reflexively as he covered his shoulder with his free hand. Again, what an idiot; he kept his finger on the trigger when he wasn't even aiming. Still, good enough. She took a single running step towards him before he was able to get his senses back enough to aim at her. Damn, that was faster than she expected. She managed to get back behind cover as a couple of bullets zinged off the stones._

 _"Come on! Come and get me!"_

 _She steadied her breathing as she kept ducking back and forth between cover, hearing his footsteps running in after her, as well as the sound of nearby combat between the two remaining Digimon._

 _"You'd better hurry up! You might have a chance against me, but your Digimon doesn't have a chance against BlackWarGreymon!"_

 _Rika took a glance down at her D-Power's screen. Doumon wasn't so much fighting as annoying her foe from hiding. That was fine: Keep him mad, wear him out, lead him away long enough that she could circle back and help Rika finish Javier. No, Rika couldn't count on her now; she had to stay focused on her part of the mission._

 _"Or is she even your Digimon anymore? Haha, I wanted to ask this, and since there'll never be another chance, is it true what they say? That she'd have been your woman if it weren't for your boss?"_

 _Such a taunt barely held her interest anymore. Rumors about them were nothing new, even if they were right. Even before she found herself attracted to Renamon, other human/Digimon pairings had come up, but acceptance of something like interdimensional interspecies romance was often...lacking._

 _"So come on out! Wouldn't it be a shame if she died and you never told her you loved her?"_

 _Rika was wondering what she had been worried about, if this kid was already so desperate he thought that would work. Time to taunt him back. Picking up another rock, she threw it away from where his voice was coming from. Hearing him run towards where it landed, she crept closer._

 _"I know what you think you're doing. You think you know how to be sneaky. I've been hiding all my life. But not anymore; now I'm the one in control."_

 _Maybe you should act a little sneakier if you're an expert, Rika supposed._

 _"I grew up on the street, having to steal and hide to survive. You didn't know what hardship was until you got a Digimon, but I've been fighting all my life."_

 _Rika kept getting closer. Keep talking, stupid; it makes you easy to find._

 _"Then...four months ago. The Yucatan Outbreak. I know you were there."_

 _She was, indeed. Four months ago, a laboratory tucked in a remote part of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, which had been experimenting with opening portals to the Digital World and capturing Digimon to further experiment on them, bit off more than it could chew when a portal stayed open and more Digimon came through than could be handled. Captive Digimon and wild Digimon alike were set loose and most of them jumped at the chance to rampage, resulting in several days of the surrounding area becoming a war zone._

 _The Sovereigns contributed to the containment and cleanup efforts, though in Rika and Renamon's case, their master considered this a violation of the Earth/Digital World peace agreements and had a different idea of what "cleanup" meant. His enforcers went in to ensure that whatever research had been carried out ended there: Rika and Renamon oversaw the destruction of everything left of the laboratory and any surviving data before anyone could recover and continue it, only rarely fighting off any of the escaped Digimon. Fortunately, the ones responsible were tracked down quickly (or had already been killed in the chaos), and once the portal was closed and peace was restored, the incident ended without further escalation._

 _"I was there, too. While Hell was breaking loose around me, I was trying not to be noticed, 'cause unlike you, I didn't have anyone who I could count on."_

 _Whatever. Almost there...just around this rock..._

 _"But I still had to eat. One day, I tried my luck at what used to be a grocery store. A Flybeemon had the same idea. They saw me, I ran, they chased, I-"_

 _His monologue was cut off when Rika rounded the corner and rushed him. He barely had time to realize she was there before she was already on him, knocking the gun from his hand and sending him to the ground with a few quick blows. She picked up the gun as he scrambled back to his feet and charged her, the fury in his eyes a sharp contrast to her confidence. One missed swing from him and an elbow, fist, and foot from Rika later, he hit the ground again._

 _"When I was your age, I'd already spent years fighting worse things than a single Flybeemon, you embarrassment."_

 _Javier got back up, or at least he got to his knees before she took his head in her hands and brought it against her knee. This time, she took a second to make sure there was still a bullet in the gun's clip before aiming at him._

 _"Your time as a tamer is over. I hope you enjoyed killing defenseless humans, because this legend you were writing ends with, 'and then he tried to fight someone who could actually fight back.'"_

 _"Shut up! This is what I wished for! When I was curled up in a corner hoping they wouldn't find me, I wanted to have power so I'd never be in a corner again, and I got it!"_

 _"Not anymore."_

 _"You're nothing!"_

 _"I'm going to-"_

 _"NOTHING!"_

 _She was surprised for a moment when, despite having clearly lost, he got back up and charged her again. She dodged the kick he threw, then blocked the swing that followed, catching his arm and hooking her leg behind his to knock him down, and this time, she added a twist of her torso to twist his arm...hard enough to hear a "pop" that got a cry of pain from him as he stayed on the ground this time, clutching his dislocated arm._

 _After reaching down and snatching his D-Power, she spoke up so he could hear her clearly over his own voice as she aimed again._

 _"As I was saying, I'm going to count to ten. Either you tell your partner to back off and power down so I can order Renamon to destroy him, or you both die. One."_

 _"Hrrgh...hrf...heh..."_

 _"Two."_

 _"You're no killer. Not like me."_

 _"Three."_

 _"You've never killed your own."_

 _"Four."_

 _"You won't do it, not without your woman to-"_

 _BANG_

 _"For her? I'd do anything. Five."_

 _"Haha...ugh...the old warning shot tick?"_

 _"Six."_

 _"You don't really have what it takes to be the warrior queen you think you are."_

 _"This is getting annoying. Seven, eight..."_

 _"Come on, then! I just would've liked-"_

 _"Nine!"_

 _"To have seen Zhuqiaomon burn you to dust first like he promised me."_

 _"..."_

 _"What? You didn't know? He'd have told you anyway, but this here, that you 'n me've been doing? All part of the plan."_

 _"...Go on. Maybe it'll give you another chance to live."_

 _"Real simple. I told you, I wanna kill him. He knows you do too. That's why we're both here. We made a deal: He gives you to me, and he'll fight whoever lives."_

 _Rika's arm lowered and her thought process shut down while she tried to process what she'd just been told. Fear at being found out before they were ready, vengeance at being set up, anger at herself for not somehow seeing this coming...it was hitting her from too many directions at once and she didn't know how to react._

 _The sound of gravel shuffling in front of her brought her out of her daze. Javier had started to get back up, and that reminded her of what was important right now: Kill him, then sort out the next step. She raised her arm again and got it halfway up before a familiar voice reached her ears._

 _"Rika! He's coming!"_

 _She looked back to see Doumon flying towards her, and the fox-woman had gotten close enough for Rika to make out the frightened look on her face when it was followed by another hurried warning._

 _"Run-"_

 _CRAAAASH_

 _She was cut off when, exploding from a nearby pile of rubble like a cannonball, a black blur suddenly flew through the resulting shower of rocks between them, and he wasn't facing Rika, he was facing her partner...and was right in front of her._

 _Time didn't actually slow during the next handful of seconds, but every detail was burned into Rika's memory so thoroughly that it seemed like it had._

 _Before Doumon could come to a stop, BlackWarGreymon pulled an arm back._

 _Rika started to turn around, her eyes wide and her mouth open._

 _Doumon twisted her body to try to avoid what was coming._

 _BlackWarGreymon thrust his arm forward._

 _Rika dropped the gun and reached for him._

 _"NNN-"_

 _"RRRARGH!"_

 _His claws found their mark._

 _Doumon came to a sudden stop, kept in the air by the claws impaling her through the shoulder._

 _"-OOOO!"_

 _Rika tripped over her own feet as every part of her rejected what just happened, her thoughts having gone from frozen to top speed. As she got to her feet, she kept telling herself over and over this wasn't what it looked like, it was a trick, all part of Doumon's plan to take a hit so she could get an advantage, she wasn't going to-_

 _The pained scream Doumon let out shattered the layers of denial as quickly as Rika had put them up._

 _Rika had gotten only a few steps before she was broken even further when, still holding Doumon off the ground, BlackWarGreymon thrust with his other arm, and the claws sticking out of her shoulder were joined by more out of the small of her back as a second blow landed in her belly. Her scream was muted to nothing more than a long gasp as she went limp._

 _Again, Rika came to a stop, staring at her only loved one doubly impaled. Doumon turned her head to look at her over BlackWarGreymon's shoulder, and Rika saw her eyelids beginning to droop. Rika shook her head, this couldn't be happening, her partner couldn't die, she...she..._

 _She wouldn't let their story end like this, not with defeat. Every muscle in her body tensed as her hands clenched into fists. She'd take Javier and his partner down with them if she had to. She spun around, readier to kill than ever in her life._

 _BANG_

 _It was Rika's turn to scream and collapse as Javier picked up the gun and fired, sending a bullet through her leg._

 _"Shit...missed."_

 _Clasping the injury, she forced herself to quiet down from a scream to rapid, deep growls, opening one eye to look at him as he picked up his dropped D-Power and she tried to piece together any kind of plan. Forget the leg, anything she could do to save her partner._

 _"Guess that's what happens when you break my good arm and I'm in a hurry."_

 _Nothing. He aimed again. There was no way out of this._

 _"Now die."_

 _Click_

 _"..."_

 _Click click_

 _"DAMN IT!"_

 _He threw the empty gun at her in frustration._

 _"S-So...not so...t-tough now without...without a gun...huh?"_

 _Rika knew she must not look very tough, either, but this was the only thing she could hope for, that he would come close enough for her to get her hands on him again._

 _"Fine! You watch her die first, then! BlackWarGreymon!"_

 _Pain still clouding her senses, Rika rolled over to see the two Digimon, just in time for BlackWarGreymon to nod as he raised Doumon overhead._

 _"So ends the rise of the would-be queens..."_

 _His arms tensed, and Doumon grunted as he started separating them._

 _"...When I tore Renamon in half while her precious Rika watched!"_

 _Rika reached out with a bloody hand, her eyes finally watering. She was about to cry for him to stop._

 _Doumon's eyes snapped open and a determined grimace crossed her face as she flung her good arm out to throw one last ofuda at Javier. It found its mark. Almost. BlackWarGreymon caught on just in time to fling her away and throw off her aim enough that Javier was only caught in the explosion rather than hit directly. Rika had already tuned Javier out as his Digimon turned to run to his aid, watching her own wounded Digimon bounce roll until she came to a stop from hitting a boulder._

 _She got to her hands and knees, gritting her jaw at the pain from her wounded leg, and let it drag under her, starting an awkward crawl to Doumon._

 _"Renamon..."_

 _The Digimon pushed herself up to sit against the boulder, her eyes closed as she panted._

 _"Please...don't go."_

 _After a heavy sigh, Doumon was covered in purple and white light, and when it faded, Renamon was left behind, tiredly opening her eyes to look at her tamer as bits of data leaked from her wounds._

 _"Rika..."_

 _Rika crawled faster, trying not to think about how the blood she must be losing would leave her looking like Renamon before long._

 _"You can't die...you're too strong to die..."_

 _She smiled a little, shaking her head before a grunt took the smile off her face._

 _"I'd like to be...stronger than Death...but I'm not there yet."_

 _Rika was almost beside her now._

 _"Get up! I didn't train you to quit!"_

 _"I'm not quitting. I've given you everything I have. But it looks like...mm...giving you my life isn't enough."_

 _Rika shook her head hard enough to flick her tears onto the fur on Renamon's legs._

 _"I never wanted you to die for me! I wanted you to live for me! We still have too much to do!"_

 _A little bit more, and she was at Renamon's side._

 _"We still have to kill Zhuqiaomon, become the queens of the Digital World, be the greatest tamer pair who ever lived..."_

 _"I want to do those things too, Rika."_

 _"Change the course of history..."_

 _"But...I wasn't strong enough."_

 _She shook her head again, moving so she was leaning against the stone and pulling Renamon in so her cheek was against the top of Renamon's head._

 _"Heh...heh...so it was all right, what they say about you two..."_

 _Rika didn't bother looking at Javier as she heard him approaching. All she had left was her partner, the one person who never stopped mattering over the years._

 _"Javier, don't bother getting up. I'll finish them off."_

 _"No...ugh...I want to see this."_

 _"You're hurt too badly, you need to-"_

 _"Shut...UP! This is over. BlackWarGreymon."_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"Wait until I'm far enough to watch..."_

 _He started shuffling away._

 _"Then give them a proper send-off."_

 _She reached down to hold Renamon's injured hand, feeling her trying to curl her fingers but only managing to twitch them halfway around Rika's._

 _"I guess...this is the part where I'm supposed to tell you to forget about me and save yourself."_

 _"You know I wouldn't even if I could. It's like you said, a while back...I walked out on you once. It's never happening again."_

 _"...Heh...yeah..."_

 _She felt Renamon shivering, tightening her hold on her to comfort her. She reached up from around Renamon's shoulders to tilt her head so they could look each other in the eye and was about to speak again when she noticed Renamon was crying, but also...smiling?_

 _"I'm sorry...sniff...I want to be strong for you, but...I'm just...happy."_

 _"...For what?"_

 _"That you always stayed with me, and that we got to be together...at the end."_

 _Rika smiled back._

 _"I guess there's just one more thing to say, then."_

 _BlackWarGreymon humphed, then leaped into the sky._

 _"We can survive-"_

 _"No, Renamon. No more of that code, no more hiding what we want to say."_

 _Renamon gave an understanding nod before they spoke in unison._

 _"I love you."_

 _A high-pitched hum reached their ears as a red glow was cast over them._

 _"Terra..."_

 _Rika slowly leaned in to say and do what she had been waiting years for._

 _"No matter where...no matter what...as long as I'm with you..."_

 _The red light brightened._

 _"DESTROYER!"_

 _"I'm right where I belong."_

 _As the red light brightened further, it was joined by a white light not from above them, but between them, from Rika's D-Power, and the instant their lips met, it shone in a radiance so bright it washed out all the red._

 _What happened next, Rika couldn't explain, but she understood. She was still herself, but she ceased to be. She was floating alone in darkness, but she knew Renamon was with her...at her side, covering her back, all around, she felt her presence. They viewed the world through senses in a body they now shared. "They" became "she."_

 _And if there was one new thing that hit her hardest, it was power. If she could compare this to anything, it was like when the heat and pressure and gravity in a great cloud of dust in space builds for ages and then, at last, flares out in an ongoing explosion. This was it. This was the long-evasive next rung of the ladder she had been climbing, and she could feel Renamon's familiarity with controlling power all her life. She understood every bit of her power's depths and how to control it, as if the knowledge had been there all along._

 _Looking up at the ball of energy flying at her, she readied herself for the first test of her power. Grasping the staff she now held, she braced as she thrust the staff forward to block the attack. It hit her, and she expected to have to struggle to remain standing, but as she held her ground, she let out a curious hum because it was...easy. She thought this would be like standing up against a fire hose, but no, holding back this ball of death took so little effort, she grinned as she let one arm rest at her side and scaled back her expenditure of energy so that, while the miniature sun enveloped her and burnt away the ground, she remained untouched._

 _This wouldn't be a test of her power. This would just be a warm-up._

 _Soon, the energy from the Terra Destroyer dissipated, and when the dust settled, her grin widened as the laughter from BlackWarGreymon turned to a confused grunt as he saw someone still standing, let alone standing on the lone pillar of land in the middle of a large crater. He could not have been expecting to see a human-looking woman wearing armor and a fox mask patterned after a purple-themed Renamon, carrying a white shakujou staff, and most importantly who had enough power to not suffer a scratch as she was hit by his finishing move._

 _"What...who...don't tell me..."_

 _She nodded, speaking loudly in her combined voice so she knew Javier would hear her._

 _"We are two. We are one. We are Kuzuhamon."_

 _BlackWarGreymon trembled with rage, and with a great roar, he launched himself at her. She leaped up to meet him, and their midair battle began...and again, the new difference in power was obvious. BlackWarGreymon was strong and fast, but his every blow was blocked or deflected by Kuzuhamon's staff, if not avoided entirely, while her own strikes started out as restrained and slow but steadily came to land blow after blow while still being able to defend herself. She couldn't help but keep smiling; he wasn't a monster they had no chance against in a toe-to-toe fight anymore, he was a good sparring partner to experiment on._

 _He must have noticed this, too, putting his claws and her staff in a deadlock long enough to speak._

 _"There's no way you were hiding this! How are you doing this?!"_

 _"Haha, you're right, I wasn't hiding it. It's as new to me as it is to you."_

 _He growled in dissatisfaction at her answer._

 _"What happened was, Rika and Renamon stopped holding back and fully committed to what they wanted most..."_

 _She leaned in over her staff, her smile fading._

 _"...and now that they have, you need to be dealt with so I can move onto what's really important."_

 _"Important...why you...!"_

 _He pushed harder against her, and although her eyes were hidden, she could see the crazed fury in his._

 _"Both of you are nothing to me! Nothing!"_

 _"Javier said that, too. You'd better try harder to prove it than he did. In fact..."_

 _She broke the deadlock and, after dodging a swing of his claws and answering with a smack of her staff against his head that sent him reeling, flew back to the ground and motioned for him to come at her._

 _"Go ahead. Take your best shot, and give it all you've got, because one of us is about to die."_

 _"...I...will...CRUSH YOU!"_

 _BlackWarGreymon's hands clasped over his head. Kuzuhamon held her staff before her and gripped it tightly as she readied the first real flex of her muscles._

 _"BLACK TORNADO!"_

 _He flew at them claws-first, now a whirlwind turned on its side with a drill on top. Her staff glowed pink with the power she channeled into it. He reached her, she braced herself, and when his claws hit her staff, rocks around them were sent flying by the force of the impact, and a cloud of dust was kicked up from the wind blowing out of the black twister. Kuzuhamon was slowly pushed back, but she remained firm as her enemy ground against her staff, its pink glow a stark and symbolic contrast to the darkness that was trying to drill its way through them._

 _But he couldn't kill her, not anymore, and now, she'd gotten what she wanted from him: Something to which she could compare her new power._

 _"You...okay...even now, you've still got more brute strength...and maybe you're still tougher..."_

 _Focusing more power into her staff, its glow brightened._

 _"...but I have much better martial arts skills, control over my energy...and above all, much more experience."_

 _Time to follow through on her threat._

 _Instead of bracing her staff on its side against him, she turned one hand gripping it upside-down and pushed forward, turning her arms in the direction opposite his spin. Her staff caught between his claws and he came to an abrupt stop. While he was still in midair, before he could reorient himself, she pulled her staff back, focused her staff's power into its head, and whipped it upward, leaving a trail of pink light behind it._

 _"Ha!"_

 _In the same swing, a split second later, she whipped it back down._

 _"Hyah!"_

 _A pair of furrows had been sliced into the ground, and a moment later, BlackWarGreymon's arms landed next to them._

 _Howling in pain, he fell on his face, his arms dissolving into data. She stepped back, her staff still glowing._

 _"Now for your send-off."_

 _As if she were performing a well-practiced exercise, she wound up her swing and kicked him back into the air. Her arms swung left, and a stream of light followed her staff._

 _"SPIRIT..."_

 _Then right._

 _"SLASH!"_

 _A crisscross of pink light was sliced across BlackWarGreymon's torso. Or, more precisely, through it. The four parts he had been cut into didn't even last long enough to hit the ground before they burned away into a black cloud of data, letting her see the x-shaped marks the waves of energy had left on the far rock wall._

 _Renamon didn't load the data of her fallen enemies very often, finding there was less point in doing so if it wouldn't let her get stronger anyway, but Kuzuhamon spread her arms as she absorbed the former Digimon partner, just to get her strength back so she would be in peak condition for the next fight. Then, there was just one little loose end to tie up before the destined battle._

 _A quick scan of her surroundings, and she saw Javier in the distance, on his knees and staring wordlessly at her. She turned to approach him, the formerly loud battlefield having suddenly gone silent except for the sound of her boots clicking and the rings on her staff jingling, which was joined by the very faint hiss of static from his D-Power's washed-out screen as she reached him. Nothing was said, and nothing needed to be said as she dispassionately flicked her wrist to swing her staff one more time._

 _His D-Power cracked, shattered, and disintegrated along with Rika and Renamon's "never killed a human" barrier._

 _With that finished, Kuzuhamon turned back the way she came, crouched down, and leaped up to fly off and meet her destiny. She smiled again, practically trembling with anticipation. While she knew Zhuqiaomon would be a much bigger challenge than this other tamer, this power still turned her formidable foe into an easy win...and she hadn't even been trying her hardest._

* * *

 **A/N Continued**

Digimon (c) Namco-Bandai.

My copyright policy: "Sharing is caring." Do what you like with this story, not like I can do anything to stop you, in fact I'd be flattered you'd want to share it or save it so you can read it whenever you want. All I ask is that you link back to the original source.


	3. The Women Who Killed a God

Rika, Queen of the South  
Chapter 3: The Women Who Killed a God  
The course of history is changed, and soon it will change even further.

This mostly uses material from the animes, with bits from the rest of the universe, but if you're like me and only watched the shows, don't worry; I've kept you in mind when writing this.

* * *

By the time Rika had finished reminiscing on the first time she and Renamon biomerged, the Pegasusmon-flown chariot had arrived at its destination: The stadium that would house today's events. The commotion from the Digimon in attendance was music to her ears, even when they weren't cheering for her, for their attendance reminded her of how much influence she had over them. The chariot flew into the stadium and over the crowd's heads, and applause sounded at the arrival of their rulers. They landed beside a pair of thrones overlooking the playing field and stepped out, looking proudly over their subjects before taking their seats.

Rika rested her chin on her hand as an Etemon nearby raised a microphone to announce, "Okay, okay, everymon! Our mighty queens have arrived, and that means it's time for the third-year anniversary tournament to begin! Now let's meet this year's challengers!"

The applause returned as the doors to the center of the stadium opened, and in marched the Digimon who would be fighting this year. The eight best and strongest in her territory...who weren't already actively serving in her army.

Actually, the plan had been for the final eight to fight for the championship and claim a prestigious spot in the army, but a very unexpected, but hardly unwelcome, surprise had awaited Rika when she heard who was entering the preliminaries, and the number in the finals had expanded to ten. She watched with a smile as the Digimon filed in...one of whom was accompanied by two fourteen-year-old humans. She was on better terms with tamers than the former ruler was - in the sense that she was less hostile to them - but she hadn't expected any tamers to enter, but not only had some entered and had done quite well, they were people she knew from when she lived on Earth.

Ai, Mako, and Impmon.

Rika hadn't gotten to know them well, but she still felt some empathy for them. Like her and Rumiko, Ai and Mako didn't get along well with their parents either, only they didn't have an understanding grandmother, and Impmon was their answer to their need for a friend. Like her and Renamon, they had lost each other for a time, only to reunite with a stronger bond than ever. Of course, being only four at the time of becoming tamers, they were spared much of the hardship that came with such a burden and were allowed to ease into it over the years. During her time on Earth, Rika and Renamon had gotten along all right with them, better than they did with the other tamers at least, but once Rika left for the Digital World some six years ago, she lost track of them as she did with everyone else.

From what she heard, they were growing up into a formidable trio, but if they had one problem, it was a lack of cooperation with other tamers. They worked great with each other, but despite having the supervision of older tamers and adults, they gradually came to enjoy battling perhaps a little too much. Rika was no psychologist, but she could imagine this was probably why most tamers had at least hit the low double digits in age at the time of receiving a D-Power: It might...do things to children as young as these two were.

Still, they had lasted ten years as a tamer trio, and while they hadn't sold themselves into servitude and been thrust into war like Rika had, if there were any tamers she had a good feeling about serving her, it was them. Reportedly, they had even smiled when they were told that Queen Rika had allowed them to enter the tournament as a trio under the condition that all their battles be fought with all three of them in the ring at once. She knew from experience that danger couldn't always be met head-on, but she had no time for cowardice, and their courage and unity reminded Rika of herself and Renamon even more.

As the combatants assembled in the center, Renamon spoke to her, "Still keeping an eye on your favorites?"

She laughed softly. "You know I don't play favorites with those who serve me. Those who do well are rewarded; those who disappoint are punished." She knew Renamon was right, though: She wanted those three to win.

The Etemon announced, "All right! Everyone's here, so let's get this show started! You all know the rules, but a friendly reminder of the two most important! Rule one: You win if you knock 'em out or if they quit, but no killing! Not here, anyway; survivors are still useful! Rule two: Keep it in or over the field; we like having a live audience!" He turned to Rika and Renamon, bowing his head. "With your word, my queens!"

Renamon gestured for him to proceed, with Rika adding, "You may begin."

Spinning back around, he called out, "You heard her! First battle: Ai, Mako and Impmon versus SkullSatamon! Everyone, take your places!"

As the combatants got into place, Rika's smile became more of a knowing grin. She wanted to give those three her full attention when they reached the final, which she hoped they would. "Give 'em Hell, kids," she muttered.

* * *

 _No sooner had Kuzuhamon reached the Southern Palace than a gout of fire came racing at her before she could even go inside. The fused Digimon flew aside and looked up to its source, seeing the bright red form of Zhuqiamon already zooming towards her. She smiled a little at seeing she already had his attention, and as he approached, she could see the pure disgust on his face._

 _"YOU TWO!"_

 _His claws and beak raked against her staff in a quick flurry of blows._

 _"You'd not only turn against me, but you'd become THIS blasphemous thing to do it?!"_

 _She gave a strained chuckle as sparks flew when their weapons clashed._

 _"You call it blasphemous; I call it beautiful."_

 _Dodging his claws, she knocked aside his beak jabbing at her._

 _"You couldn't break us before, and you can't do it now."_

 _She swung back, narrowly missing as he flapped his wings hard enough to push them away from each other. Hovering in place, they readied themselves for their next move, which came quickly as the Sovereign reared his head back._

 _"I knew it was only a matter of time before you would rise against me. This changes nothing."_

 _Wisps of flame flickered around his beak. She wound up her swing as her staff glowed pink._

 _"Either way, your deviance will be wiped from the worlds! PHOENIX FIRE!"_

 _"SPIRIT SLASH!"_

 _With a clash of fire and light, the battle between former master and servant began. They threw everything they had at each other, leaving the land around the palace crisscrossed with scorched rubble. The biomerged Digimon and the Sovereign seemed evenly matched; every new burn on Kuzuhamon was answered with a new slash on Zhuqiaomon. As the intensity of the battle grew and the palace itself had fresh holes blasted through it, so too grew the distinction between their fighting styles._

 _The phoenix was hardly a pushover in melee combat, but it was clear that Kuzuhamon had the edge there, with enough skill to block or riposte his claws and beak, and she was also fast enough to keep up with him. He, meanwhile, learned that her only ranged attack was her Spirit Slash, which he could match with any of his own blasts of fire, and she could see he was trying to fight from a distance, where she had the disadvantage._

 _Just as she hoped he would._

 _Once she was sure she had him convinced he could win if he fought at a distance, during one of their melee exchanges, she allowed him to win a struggle in which he came away with her staff in his claws...and for good measure, let him land a hit with his beak on her face that knocked her to the ground, leaving half of her mask cracked off to expose a black-colored, violet-irised eye and a lock of black hair. The fused Digimon covered her face as she looked up at Zhuqiaomon, who rose higher into the sky with a flap of his wings._

 _"Now, it's time for you to disappear!"_

 _He spread his wings and spheres of flame appeared at their ends. Kuzuhamon smiled almost manically at the sight; this was the moment she'd been waiting for. Time to lay it all on the line and find out who was the most fit to rule. Time to play her trump card and show off her other half! Clapping her hands together, she focused on the image she could envision so clearly, something which had never existed before but she knew it was there._

 _"Kuzuhamon, mode change to..."_

 _Zhuqiaomon's wings flapped._

 _"BLAZING HELIX!"_

 _Rivers of fire spiraled down from him towards his former servant. Instead of being worried, she was only encouraged, ready to meet him head-on as she summoned her other half. She glowed with the light of digivolution, but instead of elevating her power, she felt it being reshaped._

 _The staff held in Zhuqiaomon's claws dissolved, as did her armor, which was replaced by clothes like those of a traditional shrine maiden: A white kosode top, a worn-looking black hakama skirt, and the paper-streamer-ended gohei wand of Shinto rituals. The newly-intact purple fox mask completed the ensemble._

 _"Miko Mode!"_

 _As the streams of fire raced towards her, she focused her mind, ready to show off her new power. From the small of her back, purple light gleamed, then started to take shape, spreading into individual beams of light like the petals of a blooming flower. Just before the fire reached her, she swung her wand to one side, and following the gesture, the light beams swung in front of her and suddenly became solid. Fox tails, nine of them springing from her back, covered in purple fur and each several times as long as she was tall, formed a barrier between her and the fire, long enough to completely enclose her as they wrapped around her multiple times._

 _When Kuzuhamon could no longer hear or feel the flames around her, she swung her wand to the other side, unwrapping her tails with a whoosh of wind as they flew open. The phoenix in the sky looked even more livid, if that was possible. She smiled and leaned back, one of her tails curling under her and forming a seat as she made a beckoning gesture with her free hand, inviting him to attack her again as she called out to him._

 _"Is that the extent of my lord's power? Had I known it would be this easy, I would have unfused and let you watch Rika and Renamon kiss before I dethroned you!"_

 _He screeched with rage, spreading his wings and preparing to attack again, the balls of summoned flame glowing even brighter than before. She laughed softly, both at how this was going just as she expected and at the idea she had just given herself, before she rose to her feet and stood on the tail that had been her chair, now serving as a platform, and pulled her arm back as if to wind up a swing of her wand. Her other tails glowed purple brightly enough to look like beams of light again and twisted around each other in pairs, turning eight tails into four, and pointed at the sky like snakes ready to strike._

 _"Now let's get this over with, I've got a world to rule in your place!"_

 _With another screech, he flapped his wings with all his might, sending more, even brighter streams of fiery death at her. She swung her wand forward, and her tails shot up at them, lengthening until they met his fire halfway, and a rain of embers burst from where they collided. The head-on clash of power continued, their respective attacks pressing back and forth against each other in an even match._

 _Well, almost even. It wasn't like Kuzuhamon was using all of her tails. Yet._

 _Kuzuhamon grinned, her free hand pointing into the ground. Her last tail, which until now had been a platform, joined her other tails with its purple glow, whipped up and thrust itself into the ground as she floated up to hover just barely above it. It tunneled through the rock while, up above, fire and tails whipped against each other. His gaze was still fixed on her through the smoke and sparks, and spread his wings to attack again._

 _Now was the moment._

 _Her ninth tail burst from the ground behind him and raced skyward, just as he prepared his attack, and before he could blast more fire at her, with a sharp crack, the tail wrapped around his neck._

 _"Ghack- what?!"_

 _Her grin widened enough to let her teeth show as the fire her tails had been blocking died down, and she swung her wand forward again. Her tails separated from each other and shot towards him, and a multitude of whip cracks later, had bound his wings, legs, and beak...and no longer able to keep himself aloft, plummeted to the ground, headfirst thanks to her tails aiming him, and crashed with enough force to leave a crater in his wake._

 _Still holding him in place despite his struggles, Kuzuhamon floated towards him, lifting him up and slamming him back into the ground a few more times for good measure. As Kuzuhamon, she was a powerful and skilled enough melee fighter to overtake even this Sovereign in a toe-to-toe battle, but was lacking in ranged attacks. But she felt she had the option to change the nature of her power to this alternate form, when she was physically slower and weaker but, with these nine new, long and versatile limbs, she had many more options for long-range combat and, while Zhuqiaomon was too tough for her to simply crush him with her tails, they were also good for holding someone still while she took the time to finish them off another way._

 _"Now, it's time to cleanse the worlds of your taint."_

 _He gave her such a sharp glare that for a moment she expected fire to shoot out from his eyes. Easily corrected when the tail encircling his neck twisted further to cover his eyes._

 _With the phoenix not going anywhere, she started to walk in a circle around him, repeating a mystical chant as she waved her wand back and forth and regularly pulled out ofuda from her sleeves and held them up between the two of them, where they floated in midair while she continued walking, forming a ring of the tags around him. As her footsteps took her back in front of him, he struggled harder as if he had an idea of what was coming. She stopped and turned to face him, pulling out one final ofuda, this one meant to be the guide and anchor for the power she was about to channel. Ceasing her chant, with a flick of her wrist, she tossed the tag on his forehead._

 _"How appropriate. It all ends in fire for you."_

 _She reached into the depths of her being to focus her power on him and swung her wand to one side. When she became Kuzuhamon, she already knew how much power she had and the nature of it, despite never having used it before, just as most Digimon were aware of their own attacks and abilities even right after first digivolving to a new level. That included knowing of this alternate form's mightiest attack, which, like many magical rituals, was too time-consuming to use in a heated battle but was commensurately more powerful. That was another way her tails very much came in handy._

 _Another swing of her wand._

 _"CLEANSING FIRE!"_

 _The floating ofuda exploded with purple fire, and gouts of the flames shot from them and converged on the phoenix, who was bathed in the magical flame. He let out muffled shrieks as he struggled harder than ever to free himself, but she held him fast as she kept pouring more power into this attack. The more he fought, the harder she tightened her grip; in her excitement, all she could think about was how he wasn't trying to kill her anymore, he was just fighting to save himself now._

 _She almost laughed openly when his body slowly began to dissolve. She'd fought so hard and waited so long to see this. He continued burning away as if she had lit the fire on his funeral pyre...never mind, she couldn't hold in her laughter anymore at that thought._

 _Half of him was consumed by her flames. This was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen. It really was so appropriate that he ended in fire. In her fire, which would replace his._

 _Almost...there..._

 _There was so little of him left that her tails couldn't hold onto him anymore, giving him just enough time to let out one final screech before, at last, the phoenix had been burned away, leaving a great cloud of scattered data floating above the pool of purple flames._

 _Kuzuhamon stopped concentrating on her attack, and the fires died down while she laughed even harder. Spreading her arms, she stood before what was left of her former master._

 _"Come to me, the new, rightful ruler of the South!"_

 _The cloud blew to her, funneling itself into her heart, and the sensation was...indescribable. It was so different than loading the data of just any Digimon; that gave a feeling of empowerment like how humans felt after some good exercise, just without the fatigue. But this...if she could compare it to anything, it was like her whole body had been set ablaze, but instead of harming her, she felt so energetic!_

 _With a victorious cry as the last of the data loaded into her, that feeling rebounded back outward. If she had compared herself to a star before, she would have to find something new to compare herself to now. She didn't just feel like she had burst into flames; now she actually did. She erupted with purple and red flames, with stripes of red streaking across the her formerly all-purple hakama, mask, and tail fur, and yet another pair of new limbs erupted from her back in the form of red-feathered wings._

 _And. Oh. The. Power._

 _All she could do was howl with laughter from the rush of her long-awaited victory, of her plans coming to fruition, of truly getting the ball rolling on becoming the strongest...of everything._

 _She didn't even stop laughing when a flash of blue light in the sky behind her, giggling while she looked over her shoulder, already guessing who it was._

 _"No! I'm too late..."_

 _"Hahaha...no, Azulongmon, you're not."_

 _She turned to face the massive dragon, who looked down at her with a mix of scorn and worry, and pointed at herself._

 _"You have the honor of being the first to look at the woman...women...who did something impossible. Several impossible things, and killing a god and taking his place is just the latest!"_

 _He shook his head._

 _"Zhuqiaomon wasn't the only Sovereign keeping an eye on you. I warned him that he had lost your loyalty when he forbade you two to be together, but I had hoped to recognize when it was time to intervene before it reached this point, when you subverted the order of the Digital World."_

 _"Hardly. The Sovereign of the South has been replaced: The queens Rika and Renamon will be ruling the South now, so we can start by addressing each other as equals. Maybe you can help by suggesting a name for this form...how about QueenKuzuhamon? Or is thwarting me your goal as well?"_

 _"Naturally, you don't even realize what you've done, thinking that all you have to do now is...nothing, just staying here to rule in his stead."_

 _She laughed again. Of course he would be afraid of her now. She had slain his equal, and now her power had risen to even greater heights by absorbing his data._

 _"I've done what I want and proved how unbreakable I am."_

 _She pointed behind him._

 _"So, if you haven't come to congratulate me or welcome me as your fellow Sovereign, I'm already finished talking to you. Tell the other Sovereigns that I'm willing to be diplomatic as long as they are, but I've fought too hard and suffered too much to yield a single bit of my hard-earned victory."_

 _He shook his head again, sighing as he turned to leave._

 _"I simply want to avoid unnecessary conflict, but do not assume this is out of pacifism. Likewise, you may sit on his throne, but do not assume Zhuqiaomon will be gone forever."_

 _"I am allowing you to leave now. When you're ready to use that boundless wisdom of yours to recognize my success, you can talk to me again."_

 _With that, he was gone. Alone again, Kuzuhamon let out one more "heh" before her wings and the red streaks across her clothes and tails vanished, and with a flash of purple light, she became two again. Renamon stood before Rika, her usual calmness a pleasant contrast to Rika's eager smile._

 _"Well handled, my queen."_

 _"Well said, Renamon."_

 _"Now, as the first to formally welcome the new ruler of the South, I am at your service."_

 _"Hahaha...then, as my first act as queen, watch as I welcome the last person I ever bend my knee to..."_

 _She took Renamon's hand and knelt before her, smiling even wider as Renamon's brow raised slightly._

 _"And name you as my wife and fellow queen."_

 _Renamon paused while Rika awaited her answer. Not that she could imagine anything but an affirmative...and yet, there was a small surprise in store for her._

 _"I was so sure you'd want a church wedding, though."_

 _Now it was Rika's turn to pause, before Renamon arched an eyebrow and the dry humor in the joke hit her, making her double over with laughter. Once she could look up and speak again..._

 _"Ahhh, ha, hoo...oh we are going to have such a good life...that was a 'yes,' right?"_

 _"As if you had any doubt."_

 _She stood back up and the two took each other in their arms, with Rika still unable to completely stop laughing._

 _"Heehee, I'm just so damn happy! Finally, we've done it! We rule the roost, we climbed to the top of the ladder, we call the shots!"_

 _"And we did it together."_

 _"And we get to stay together!"_

 _Renamon pulled back long enough to give Rika a kiss before gesturing around them._

 _"Then let it all out. Announce our victory to everyone. I want to hear you say it."_

 _Rika stepped away from Renamon, took a deep breath, and shouted at the top of her lungs._

 _"Digimon everywhere, hear me! I am the mighty Rika, Queen of the South! And one day, I will be Queen of the Digital World!"_

* * *

The tournament ended just as well as Rika hoped. Not only did the tamer trio win, they were ecstatic with the offer Rika presented them with in private. The chance to show off their power and earn yet more glory by leading a charge into her former territory, who wouldn't jump at the chance? Yeah, she understood them.

That's right, she had a bigger plan in mind than simply letting them serve in her army. When she and Renamon ascended to the Southern Throne, there was understandably a lot of opposition to them from Digimon who didn't want to accept their new rulers. Not just from Zhuqiaomon's former subjects, but up to and including the other Sovereigns. But the new queens kept true to their word about not giving up any of their victory. Not willingly. After giving a single warning to the Digimon in her territory and who had pledged their service to Zhuqiaomon to either serve them and be rewarded, or leave and never trouble them, it didn't take long for things to degenerate into hostility between the queens and the Sovereigns.

Still, striking down a god and taking his place did even greater wonders for self-esteem than Rika thought. Not just her own, but that of others, especially the ones who once served that god. Some bowed to her. Others ran from her. Still others rebelled against her. All of them filled her with even more confidence: They sat up and took notice of her and Renamon's power, however they did it.

For all their variety, Digimon had an inherent respect for power and, by extension, the powerful, so a good portion of Zhuqiaomon's subjects continued to serve their new rulers, and some even came to their territory willingly to serve them. Unconventional though they were, Rika and Renamon's reputation was an inspiration to many: A tamer and Digimon who started from the bottom and climbed to the top, and then went even higher. Still, there was plenty of fear everywhere else in the Digital World that they wouldn't stop there and would expand their influence. The queens had expected this and planned accordingly, but when the Sovereigns united against them and attacked, perhaps in hopes of not only dethroning them but somehow restoring the former ruler, there was only so much they could do, and it had taken them until almost half their former territory was lost before the combination of their military prowess and personal power had halted the advance and kept things in an uneasy stalemate.

Much of their time as queens had been spent holding onto their remaining territory, and now they were ready to put a big plan into motion. Now that Ai, Mako and Impmon had demonstrated their strength, it was time to turn this stalemate into a counteroffensive and do something about the trespassers occupying their land.

But that wasn't the only thing Rika had decided it was time for. Oh no, there was another, much bigger change coming if she had her way.

As she and Renamon walked back to their bedroom that evening, with Rika's arms crossed behind her head in satisfaction, Renamon looked at her with a smirk. "I know that smile...it means you're either planning something or you're about to put that plan into action," she remarked.

"Hmhm, little of both, if I can get away with it," the human said as she looked over her shoulder at the Gazimon servants following them. "Leave us." When they were gone, she undid her cape and tossed it off along with her gloves. "I have been thinking. We've been married for three years today, and during those three years, we've changed the course of history, haven't we?"

Renamon nodded. "Replacing a digital god, marrying despite being different species, ruling a digital kingdom despite one of us not even being a Digimon...ours is going to be its own chapter in every book about the Digital World's history," she agreed.

"And I don't want that to just be one chapter, nope," Rika continued as she unbuttoned her vest, "I'm ready for us to star in the next one, too. But first, we have to start it, and I know just the way."

Another nod. "I know. I'm looking forward to letting Beelzemon and the kids loose too," the fox said with a wider smirk.

"Not just that. I mean, what we've done has already changed things, but I want to go further and shake both humans and Digimon to their foundation," Rika mused, the vest joining the cape and gloves.

"...You want to invade Earth as well?" Renamon guessed. "But you've never-"

"No, no, my opinion of the Earth has never changed. It can still go to Hell for all I care," Rika waved the guess off. "That, and I have enough to handle in the Digital World, I don't need Earth's problems too."

"...Then please, go on," Renamon offered.

"I don't want our story to end with us. I want it to go on and on," she kept musing, walking over to sit on the bed and see if Renamon could guess what she meant. When the fox gave a little shrug, Rika continued, "Trying to live forever pretty much never goes well, so I'm going to accept the reality that neither of us is going to be around forever...and I want to pursue a different kind of immortality. See, while no one's been able to unseat us, I have a feeling they have this thought that, 'If we just wait it out, at least they'll die someday and then things will go back to normal.'"

Renamon still didn't seem to get it, answering with, "This has to be something amazing if even I can't read you this time."

"Haha, oh it is, it's maybe the most amazing idea I've ever had." She kicked her shoes off as she winked at Renamon. "I'm saying I want a worthy successor to carry on our legacy."

"...You mean..."

"I do." She leaned forward to rest her chin on her hands. "I want an heir."

That had the impact Rika hoped for, as Renamon just stared at her in confusion. Good; if this was what her own wife thought, Rika couldn't wait to see what kind of impact this had on everyone else.

When Renamon didn't say anything, Rika laughed softly, and then said, "Hello? I'm saying I want us to have a baby."

Renamon shook her had slightly, walking over to Rika. "I'm sorry...I just never exactly thought you would. Having a baby never occurred to me, anyway...and not just because we're both female," she explained as she sat next to her.

"Well...surprise. I do," Rika hummed, "and I have a plan...well, it's actually both a plan and an experiment," she leaned her head on Renamon's shoulder, looking up at her with a sweet smile, "because I want a child that's from _both of us_."

"You...whaaat?" Renamon squawked, wide-eyed.

"You heard me. I want you," she pointed at Renamon, "and me," then at herself, " to do like men and women do when they make a baby, only we'll actually make one too."

The Digimon blinked, her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of what Rika just told her, and then waved at her to continue. "Okay, you have a plan, so...go ahead, tell me everything."

She reached up to her chest and rested her hand on her D-Power. "Something Azulongmon said to us three years ago has been going through my head ever since: The possibility that Zhuqiaomon could come back someday, even if it takes our deaths for that to happen. I didn't just want to take over to play queen, I wanted to send a message and change things forever, and if he came back, it would all be undone. A few months ago, I finally had an idea...whether we absorbed his data or not, it still exists somehow. So if we can't destroy it completely," she nuzzled Renamon's shoulder and hugged her arm, "why not do something even better, and destroy him by turning him into something and someone else?"

Renamon looked...a little disgusted with the suggestion. "You want to bring Zhuqiaomon back as our child?"

"No!" Rika snapped. "No. I would never let him live, ever. But with this idea, he won't be himself anymore. He'll be..." She hummed before shaking her head. "I'm actually not completely sure what he'll be, any more than I'd be sure what any child would be like. But think of it like this...there's more than one way to get rid of something. Sometimes you try to destroy it. Other times you try to turn it into something else, maybe by breaking it down first. It's like that."

"And, do tell, how will this...work?" Renamon asked.

"Someone's interested," Rika teased as she held her D-Power forward. "Zhuqiaomon's Digi Cores are still under our control, and I'm going to use one of them to give my D-Power a neat new trick: Breaking down data you've uploaded into something else, like the energy needed to fuel this kind of change. Then, when we biomerge and separate, I'll be carrying a child formed of both of us." Again, Renamon was silent, looking at Rika with thinly veiled disbelief. "Well, okay, it's kind of like making a child with three people contributing genes instead of two. It's an experiment, yeah, but my research says it'll work. Once we can do it, we'll take Zhuqiaomon's data and it'll join yours and mine in the form of a child, and if it works, we can do it again, even, with other powerful Digimon we destroy. Something like a Rookie wouldn't be enough, in fact it'd be like trying to catch a mosquito in a net, but a Mega like Zhuqiaomon...well, it'll cause us to lose some power now, yes, but think of it as a big investment with an even bigger return! A return that could be anything we want if we just work hard enough at it!"

Renamon let out a sigh, shaking her head but smiling in mild exasperation. "I wonder if this is what it must have felt like to hear someone lay out her plan about how she's going to conquer the world and you can't believe you're even listening," she replied.

"Don't tell me it's not fitting. Zhuqiaomon was a phoenix, and what do phoenixes do? They come back from death. If he's going to come back, he's going to come back as someone else, as someone better," she chuckled, tossing her D-Power up a couple of times, "and another thing, our biomerged form is named after the kitsune Kuzunoha, and her legend is about a fox who marries a human and bears him a son of both worlds...only this time it'll be the human who does it, and I already have a feeling it'll be a girl. What better way would there be for us to have another queen who can rule when we're gone?"

The fox looked back and forth between Rika and her D-Power, settling on staring at Rika with a raised eyebrow. "Sounds like you've been planning this for a long time. You're even already hoping for a girl," she noted.

She nodded, chuckling again. "Firstborn girls kinda run in my family. Me, my mom and my grandma were all firstborn, so call it a hunch the trend'll continue. I've even been toying with names." Her sweet smile returned as she leaned up to kiss Renamon's nose. "I'm not hearing a 'no,' or even a 'let me think about it,' by the way..."

Renamon drummed her fingers on her knees before answering, "Two things. One...I do need to think about it, and now's really not a good time. We have a big offensive coming up, now that we have Beelzemon and the kids to spearhead it, and if we can take and hold onto the territory we're aiming for...that'll make me a lot more agreeable."

"Works for me. And the other?"

She put an arm around Rika's shoulders and ran the backs of her fingers against her chin as she said, "Promise me you won't name her something like Renee or Monica."

"...Aww, but-"

"No."

"Those are good names."

"No pun names."

Rika pouted, but conceded the point. "Fiiine, then you can help me come up with new ones...if you promise you'll really think about this."

"Good deal, and that means," Renamon wrapped her other arm around Rika and pulled the human atop her as she rolled onto her back, "I want to enjoy as much time as I can of it being 'us' before it gets to 'us plus one'...and by the way, I plan on being even more protective of you than I am now."

Rika grinned before they kissed, already congratulating herself on her job well done. Their futures were looking ever brighter, indeed.

She would keep fighting and keep winning, for herself, for her kids, and for Renamon, her partner, her lover, her fellow Queen of the Digital World.

* * *

 **A/N Continued**

Digimon (c) Namco-Bandai.

My copyright policy: "Sharing is caring." Do what you like with this story, not like I can do anything to stop you, in fact I'd be flattered you'd want to share it or save it so you can read it whenever you want. All I ask is that you link back to the original source. A version that can be copied is on my DA page (I'm Evertide there too).


	4. My Family Is So Weird

Rika, Queen of the South  
Epilogue: My Family Is So Weird  
Years later, Rika and Renamon have yet to be unseated, and now their legacy may be forever cemented with their heirs.

This mostly uses material from the animes, with bits from the rest of the universe, but if you're like me and only watched the shows, don't worry; I've kept you in mind when writing this.

* * *

Rika stretched out on her bed, rubbing her eyes and sitting up...with a quiet huff. After all, even with a decade and a half of experience being a battle-hardened athlete, it wasn't like being six months pregnant made things _easier_. Looking down at the bump filling out her midsection, her nightgown open to proudly display her accomplishment, she asked, "What, no 'good morning' for your mother?" She smiled a little as her passenger gave her a few taps back. "That's better," she said with a yawn as she got up.

Rolling out of bed to follow her, Renamon asked, "How are you doing, Rika?"

"I'm fine," she replied as she headed to the bathroom, "other than having a few extra pounds on my bladder." Same answer she'd been giving most mornings these days.

The fox nodded as she kept shadowing her wife. "Any nausea? Cravings? Soreness?" she continued.

Rika shook her head, sighing quietly. "I guess I _could_ use a minute of privacy at least while I answer calls of nature," as she motioned for Renamon to turn around, already knowing what kind of answer she'd get.

"Nope," she answered as she obeyed the other request and turned around. "Don't say I didn't warn you when I said I'd be overprotective."

"Oh well," Rika conceded.

With that finished, she clapped to summon the Gazimon servants so a bath could be prepared, but before she could give the order, Renamon held a hand up as one of her ears twitched. "Hold off on that...trouble's coming," she said as she led Rika back to the bedroom, "and I might need backup to deal with it."

They didn't have to wait long before a young girl's shriek reached their ears, and just after that, a ping pong ball-sized fireball flew into the room, fizzling before it could hit anything...and just behind that was a five-year-old girl still in her pajamas, running top speed towards the bed. She was the spitting image of her human mother at that age, just with a single blonde lock in her otherwise red hair and eyes that clearly showed her hybrid nature: Her blue irises were surrounded by black sclera, giving her eye "blacks" instead of eye "whites."

"HiMotherHiMom!" she spat out as she jumped on the bed.

Just in time for a smart-aleky boy's voice from the hall to yell, "Hey, no hidin' behind your moms, Aiko!" as she slid behind the other side of the bed, peeking over it at the door.

"I'm not! Now come 'n get me, Wimpmon!" she shouted back, giggling as her playmate ran in.

"Why, yi youghta!" he complained as another fireball appeared above his finger.

"Renaiko, Impmon, it's too early for this..." Rika said tiredly.

Impmon looked over and grinned at them. "Mornin', yer majesties," he said confidently, adding to Rika, "my, you got a lovely glow about you today," then to Renamon, "and you're hot as ever," before rushing to jump over the bed.

With a whoosh of wind, Renamon rushed forward and caught him by the tail in midair, saying calmly, "I hope you're grateful every day that you're the only Digimon who's not allowed to say that to me but doesn't risk dying for it."

"Hey, yer cheating! You are hidin' behind yer moms!" Impmon complained again to Renaiko as the fireball fizzled out.

"Mooom," Renaiko joined the complaining before calling to the door, "Uncle Mako! Aunt Ai! Moms won't let us play anymore!"

Rika walked over to join them, shaking her head. "You can play later if you're good with your lessons today."

She humphed, but obediently stood back up from behind her former cover as Impmon, still upside-down, snickered. "And here I thought bein' a princess was gonna be Easy Street for her," he remarked.

"Not when her parents are a bit more progressive," Renamon replied, giving the smaller Digimon a weak toss to let him land on the bed.

"And want their kids to grow up to actually be even cooler than they are," Rika finished. "Now come on, we've both got a day to get ready for."

"Okay, Mother," Renaiko said with resigned acceptance as she walked out.

Impmon went to join her, but before Renaiko was out of sight, he raised his finger again and summoned another fireball with a mischievous grin...and before he could throw it, a shard of white light zipped past his head and snuffed it out before disappearing.

With a huff, he looked back at Renamon. "Why couldn't either of you have been the fun mom, so me 'n the others don't have to be the fun uncles and aunt?" he asked.

"Oh, stop acting like you don't like it," the fox answered flatly.

Shrugging, the little demon crossed his arms behind his head and left. Rika chuckled when he was gone, pointing to the bathroom and nodding to the Gazimon who had stood by silently. Understanding the unspoken order, they bowed and went to get her bath ready.

When she couldn't help but laugh again, Renamon looked at her with a questioning smile. "Hahaha, it's just...I have to laugh about it. My family is so weird...which actually still makes us kind of normal..." she said before giving Renamon a hug and kiss, "and I love it."

* * *

 **A/N Continued**

Thanks for reading :)

Fun little factoid, Renaiko's name came from my friend Flyingwolf, who first suggested the name Renita but gave me the idea of combining names. I hit on Renaiko - "Renamon" + "Aiko" (something like "love" and "child") - as a result.

Digimon (c) Namco-Bandai.

My copyright policy: "Sharing is caring." Do what you like with this story, not like I can do anything to stop you, in fact I'd be flattered you'd want to share it or save it so you can read it whenever you want. All I ask is that you link back to the original source. A version that can be copied is on my DA page (I'm Evertide there too).


End file.
